PlayBack
by Isadora26
Summary: Dean gives up everything to go back and make sure a horrible tragedy is avoided. Sam struggles to find out what is going on with his brother. SEQUEL to Frostburn.
1. Chapter 1

1Play Back

Chapter One

Sam shifted against the hospital chair trying to get comfortable again. Accustomed to sleeping in the car made this seem almost like a hotel stay...still. He repositioned the blanket watching Dean jerk in his sleep, the confusion of the last two days still plaguing Sam. The overnight stay had turned into three days so far as Dean's condition seemed to finally show the extent of damage by the rest of the test results that had come back.

The doctors had been giving Sam the run around on some of it trying to come up with answers themselves. They couldn't explain some of the results. Sam had had to practically steal the chart to even get some answers. Dehydration and starvation weren't the only conditions that Dean was suffering...Shock wasn't the extent. The fever still coursing through his body wasn't all of it. He had tissue damage on his hands and feet...mirroring frost bite. His body was practically broken down...so weak and depleted that after the second battery of tests, Dr. McCarver had insisted that Dean stay for a few more days of rest.

Sam hadn't asked Dean yet...not about the frost bite. Dean was only awake for a few minutes at a time as the fever had yet to really leave him. Three days in and Sam had never seen Dean not shake a fever like this. This wasn't just some bug. Sam knew better. He just didn't have an explanation yet. And Dean wasn't very froth coming either.

Sam tried to think about the drive to Huntington...tried to place the pieces together...but the puzzle pieces didn't fit no matter how he looked at them. The drive had been fine. Dean had been fine. Sam couldn't remember him even looking ill. In fact a few hours before Sam fell asleep in the passenger seat Dean had been singing along with the radio and dancing around in the drivers seat like he always did when he was getting a little stir crazy on the road.

They stopped at that diner back in Rockford two hours before that and Dean had eaten a burger...had a soft drink. Sam didn't remember Dean even looking sick. He didn't remember when Dean could have eluded him in finding time to have gotten sick...as in discarding his stomachs contents. It was like Dean had in a mere moment just suddenly become violently ill.

Sam flipped the channel on the TV making sure that the noise didn't disturb his brother as he watched the news of the twin engine jet that had exploded over Huntington. It had killed two people they were saying. A real tragedy. Sam barely remembered watching it break up in the night sky now as he had racked his brain over everything else trying to make sense where none could be made. There was a soft knock at the door.

"Yeah." Sam straightened up tossing the blanket off him as a nurse walked in with a chart in one hand and a plastic handled box full of vials in the other.

"Shift change," The girl whispered as she slowly closed the door behind her. "I'm your brother's nurse for the next twelve hours." She gave Dean a cautious glance obviously not wanting to disturb his sleep. "Ambre Gallager." She offered her name as she went to look over Dean's vitals setting the blood pressure cuff on his arm to take another reading with the press of a button. "How's he been?"

Sam wiped the sleep from his own eyes with a nervous smile. "He's been...sleeping." Sam finally got out. "He looks better." He added finally as she seemed to be encouraged by the readings she was getting on the monitors.

"That's great. I hear he may get to go home this evening, if the fever breaks." She smiled again. She seemed good at that. Offering a bit of peace and comfort with a smile. "Have you been eating?" Sam wasn't ready for a question about his own health. He had practically given up on getting much rest since he started worrying about Dean.

"Here and there...when I get a chance. Yeah. I'm fine." Sam nodded. He wasn't concerned about it. He felt fine physically...so if Dean did have something contagious then he supposed that he hadn't caught it. "I haven't seen you on this floor." Sam hadn't really left the hospital in the last three days and he didn't remember the girl on this floor.

"I usually work trauma in the ER." Ambre nodded at his observation. "They were short up here this morning though."

"Aha...so I guess this must be a bit quieter then you're used to." Sam chuckled softly. It was nice to have someone to talk to other then a near incoherent Dean. Ambre seemed more sociable then most of the nurses he's run into as of yet.

"Not really. Small town like this...we don't see that much trauma...a little...but this is about normal for me. I was just about to go grab some snacks for the other patients, if you want I can bring you something too." Ambre added as she finished writing on the chart in her hand.

"I'd appreciate that." Sam smiled in return offering Dean another glance as he jerked against the bed.

"I won't." The desperation in Dean's slumbered voice got Sam tossing the rest of the blanket off as Ambre looked down at him narrowing her eyes at his utterance. "She won't get her...Sam, You gotta hold her."

Sam had never heard Dean talk in his sleep. Not like this. He furrowed his brow as he watched a sweat bead up against Dean's forehead. Dean gave another hard jerk against the bed, pulling the sheet loose with the strong movements before Ambre took his hand to secure it before he could rip the IV port that was taped into the bend of his elbow of his left arm out.

"Sam, take the baby!" Dean suddenly screamed out sitting bolt upright in the bed his eyes wide in a panic.

"It's alright Mr. Hanover." Ambre started immediately her voice sounding soothing and compassionate to Sam as he made his way to his brother trying to settle him back down. "It's just the fever. You're dreaming. Do you remember where you are?" Ambre went through the barrage of settling bit that should have taken Dean down a notch in the panic scale, but instead Sam saw the heightened response the moment Dean's eyes settled on the young nurse. Dean jerked his arm back and scooted as far away from her as he could.

"Get out." He breathed against cracked lips his eyes widening even more. "Get out!" He yelled louder when she seemed to freeze like a doe caught in the dangerous lights of a car.

"Dean." Sam's hand wound around his arm pressing him back against the bed...back down as he watched Dean stare up at Ambre like he'd seen some kind of ghost. "Hey. That's your nurse. She's just trying to make sure you're alright. You were just dreaming...having a night mare. It's alright. You need to calm down." Sam was doing all he could to keep Dean settled in the bed, feeling his brother's body shivering again - shaking uncontrollably.

"I'll go get the doctor." Ambre breathed finally still shaken by his response, the feel of his eyes on her. It seemed to shake her to the core...like he could see right through her...like she scared him. She had never scared anyone.

"No...no he's alright." Sam shook his head, knowing that Dean didn't want to be sedated. Sam had ulterior motives though as well. He wanted a few answers and Dean couldn't very well answer them if he was out again. "He'll be alright in a min. I'll get him calm."

"Get her out of here." Dean whispered against Sam's ear. Sam's muscles tightened in fear as he heard the emotional play in Dean's voice.

"Really he'll be alright." Sam nodded in response to what Dean was saying. "I'll call you if he needs anything." Sam watched the realization that he needed some time alone with his brother surfaced in her eyes and she nodded before retreating from the room.

"Dude, what the hell was that?" Sam asked as the door closed behind the nurse.

"I want a different nurse." Dean got out in a rush swallowing hard as he sank back against the bed exhausted from the actions of a moment of ago. "Don't let her back in this room."

Sam narrowed his eyes in bafflement. "What?!" He was never going to understand this. "Where did that come from? Do you know her?"

"No," Dean whispered watching the back of the closed door now. "I just...I" Dean broke off closing his eyes as both hands went to his face shaking against his skin while he tried to calm down. Dean finally caught himself. He had been reacting on pure instinct from the moment he woke. Now he had to reign himself back in. It was almost as if he had forgotten that Sam didn't know the things that plagued his mind. "Must of been the nightmare." Dean finally whispered refusing to meet Sam's eyes.

"I don't think so...no way...Dean, what the hell are you not telling me?" Sam refused to believe that Dean had simply had a nightmare and gone off his rocker a moment. What he just saw was more then that. Sam couldn't explain it, but he had seen Dean sick before...and this wasn't a normal reaction to a nightmare...to some fever...this wasn't Dean at least not the Dean he knew. Something had happened to him...and Sam wasn't going to rest until he knew what it was. "Dean," Sam's voice softened as he settled his hands on the safety rail on the side of the bed. "What's happening to you?"

"Nothing." Dean replied stubbornly. "I'm fine...just forget it."

"Like hell." Sam shook his head. "It's like you've been a whole other person since I woke up in the car. Since that plane crash. Now did you see something before I woke up? Did something happen out there that I missed? I mean case I've done the math here and you were fine before then."

He almost though he caught a failed attempt to suppress a frustrated laugh before Dean shook his head. " I'm sick...that's it. The plane was just a coincidence." Dean got out angrily. Sam wasn't buying that for a second no matter how straight faced Dean delivered the line. "I barely remember seeing it explode." Dean was trying to put on a stellar performance, but Sam could see through every bit of it. "It's this disorientation, Sam. I just feel out of it and like things are disjointed." That part Sam believed. "Cut me a break here..." Dean seemed desperate to sell it. "I'll apologize to Ambre when she comes back."

It was the lowering of his voice and the name that did it for Sam...that truly showed him the extent of what he was missing here...of what Dean refused to say...was too fevered up to stop himself from letting slip. The hints of emotion...the slips with information he was supposed to not have...Sam was picking it all up and hoping like hell that it made sense eventually because he was still at a loss right now. How did Dean know Ambre...and why the hell was he so scared of her? Better yet How did he know her name? He had been asleep when she came into the room so he'd never heard her name and her last name was the only thing on her name tag. "Alright." Sam didn't know what else to say.

He knew Dean needed to calm down...to not get worked up again so he let it drop. Sam wasn't going to let it go though. That plane crash had something to do with it and so did Ambre and he was going to get to the bottom of this...wether Dean liked it or not.

"Alright." Dean nodded as if he was truly relieved as his closed his eyes winded against the pillow again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She rolled over with a groan and swatted at the alarm clock before realizing that it was the phone that was ringing. She wasn't exactly sober...she never was. Life had taught her that drinking could be beneficial in her line of work. She picked up the phone still laying on her stomach with the blanket pulled over her half naked form.

"Yeah." She whispered into the receiver as she shouldered her latest boy toy's arm from around her back and listened to him roll over with a drunken groan.

"We have a job for you." She felt the left side of her mouth curl upward at the edges as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows.

"I'm listening." She replied kicking the boy toy from the bed. He rolled out of the bed and sat up dazed as she threw him his clothes and mouthed "Go."

"Your charge has been located at the Huntington Memorial Hospital. Alturoc hunts her." Her smile grew as she sat up glaring at the boy toy's protests before motioning at the door. He cursed repeatedly as he pulled on his clothes and then grabbed his wallet off the small hotel table before walking out the door in a huff as she waved at his back.

"It'll take me two hours." She replied quickly as she scanned the floor for her own clothes. She got to her feet stretching her long arms over her head and grabbed her shirt from the motionless blade of the ceiling fan.

"Fine." Came the reply.

She paused her white shirt in mid air over her head. "I get to pick the team or do you have them in mind already?"

"We're sending two more in. They are a little younger then you...a little rougher around the edges. This job should be a breeze for the three of you."

"Ah come on...surely it can't be that easy." Nessa laughed into the receiver. "You called me, didn't you."

"It's Alturoc...you know how hairy things can get. I just ...it's one nurse...how hard can it be?"

"Hard." Nessa's smile faded as she felt a shiver race up her spine from the disconcerting level of deja vu that ran through her.

"Well get to it...I don't want another dead could have been on my hands...and I know you don't want it on yours." Nessa grabbed her pants from the partially open night stand drawer and pulled them on in a hurry before pulling her pistols from the recess there and making sure it was loaded before sliding it into her ankle holster.

"I'm working on it." Nessa breathed pushing the second gun into her shoulder strap before making sure her wrist straps were tucked into place. She pushed the last guns into place with a sigh. "Alright where am I meeting my team?"

"Huntington Memorial. Selena and Rachel are in bound as we speak. Nessa..."

"Yeah." She snapped the two smaller guns into place against her wrists.

"Be careful." She gave a moments pause at her handler's caution before she shook it off and narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Always." She nodded. "Bye." She hung up the phone pausing one more time before looking to her keys on the night stand. Dammit she would have given anything to have just flown. She reluctantly packed up and tossed the room key on the bed before she went and loaded her car. Oh well...everyone had rules to follow. She just hated them. She sank into the drivers seat and cranked the car before pulling out and heading to Huntington.


	2. Chapter 2

1Chapter Two

Dean limped out of the bathroom feeling like he had been on a bender for the last three days...ever since he's reappeared in the car on that stretch of highway. He pulled the I.V Stand along beside him, thankful that Sam was gone to grab some food...probably to apologize to Ambre too. Dean paused in the middle of the room holding to the stand for support as he looked to his closed door.

"_Dean?"_ Her voice sounded in his head like he remembered it. With an edge of fear that mirrored the horrors that they had all seen. Dean felt his arm shifting against the ghost of the hotel bed as he shifted the blankets and sheets up making room for her in his arms as if on instinct. It had taken months for that to feel natural...or maybe not...maybe it was seeing her after the explosion...asking him to tell her it was all a dream...maybe sharing a bed was the least he could do. Offering bodily comfort night after night til he didn't want to stop. When they had made that leap from comfort to something more he may have never really pin pointed...but it happened so gradually that it never felt wrong.

Dean slammed his eyes shut wishing the room would stop spinning, wishing he wasn't trying to pull off the greatest acting gig of the century while down for the count. It was hard enough without the fever furthering his delirium.

Dean needed some air.

He rubbed his hand not bound to the arm bound to the IV across his lips before he made his way to the door and then out into the corridor. He was glad he didn't spot Ambre on this short jaunt to the elevator...not really sure where he was going, but hoping that it cleared his head.

A man sat in the back of the elevator smiling from ear to ear with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Dean acknowledged the button lit up and decided that where ever this guy was going that made him so happy seemed good enough to him. "How's it going?" Dean asked quietly as he stood to the side there with his friendly neighborhood IV stand.

"Can't complain." The man replied shortly getting a nod from Dean. "You?"

"Same." Dean lied easily looking to the buttons as he wished that the elevator would hurry. When it finally settled Dean let the other man rush past him before walking into the elevator lobby. The doors had already closed behind him when he heard the faint call of an infants cry. Dean froze and took a few steps in to get a better look at the corridor. "Shit." He breathed under his breath. He was on the Maternity floor.

He turned back to the elevator and quickly pushed the button feeling tension building behind his eyes. The tears that he refused to cry getting precariously close to breaking through. He wasn't going to do this...he was not going to break down. He could handle this...everyone was better off. Still, Dean turned at the sound of the infants crying and slowly felt his feet betraying him. He was standing in front of the viewing window before he really had a chance to figure out how he got there. There had been so much going on...when...Dean swallowed thinking back to that basement. So much going on. Sam had been doing what he could...but even he was struggling. Ambre's life had been slipping through his fingers...the baby crying as she nuzzled it in her arms while Sam tried to keep the evil outside the door at bay. Dean had barely gotten to see the baby.

Now he felt that damn bursting through as his hand trailed down the glass at the babies that lay before him. So many of them...sleeping...moving about...crying...Dean couldn't look long before he was heading back to the elevator fighting to keep from letting that damn completely shatter. He felt weak just for letting the tears that had gotten through go. God he had to get it together.

He could tell that Sam already knew something was up, but he knew that without a thorough explanation he'd never understand it...and Dean didn't plan on giving him that. Dean rode the elevator down with a crowd of people trying to collect himself before he went back up to his floor and waited for the throngs of people to clear out in the lobby before pressing the button and waiting for the doors to close. An arm shot in to keep the door from closing and Dean froze watching the brunette step into the elevator...ignoring him completely as she saw that the right button was pushed.

It was strange that he couldn't see her wings, it had been so easy to see things not normally visible not long ago...and he knew for a fact that they were there. Unless he had just completely lost his mind or Alturoc had sent him to some freak alternate reality instead of back in time to fix this. She was packing...he could tell by the way she held herself. He'd been around her enough to have seen both of her stances...her locked and loaded stance and her I might finally give a damn stance. She was taking the first at the moment. "How's it going?" Dean asked with a half nervous smile. God she could tear him apart in his current condition.

"You aren't talking to me are you?" She asked indignantly. Dean arched his head...he forgot her better then though attitude. She thought humans were all beneath her.

"Actually yeah I was." Dean felt that flash of anger and went with it. Seeing the half smile lining her lips as she turned slightly to look him over. "Was just wondering if you were having a good day or not. Wasn't being rude or ugly or near so much of a bitch as your acting like right now." Dean arched his eyes brow at her waiting to see how she would respond.

She gave a humph as she turned on him in the elevator. "You've got spunk, Cowboy." She smiled. "I like that. I'm a - ok today. At least a hell of a lot better then you it would seem."

Dean chuckled with a shake of his head - yep...that was Nessa. "I'll be fine." Dean nodded.

"I'm sure you will be." Nessa smiled before the elevator announced their arrival and the doors opened to reveal Sam and Ambre both looking near panicked.

"Dean where have you been!" Sam got out in a rush as Dean continued to hold Nessa's gaze.

"Went for a walk." Dean replied as Nessa finally shook her head looking away with a bright smile.

"You get better soon, Cowboy." Nessa walked out of the elevator and Dean frowned as he noticed her take Ambre by the arm. "Ma'am can you help me with something?" Nessa began.

Dean's brain went into over drive. What could Nessa possibly want with Ambre?

"Dean, you're not even supposed to be out of bed for more then a bathroom break." Sam's voice mirrored his concern as Dean followed Ambre and Nessa with his gaze going so far as to walk around Sam to keep them in his line of site.

"Yeah well I was going stir crazy." Dean replied defiantly. Nessa was locked into conversation with Ambre motioning here and there and Dean didn't like where it looked like this was heading. Especially when the second elevator dinged and two more guardians stepped into the elevator lobby. Dean was beginning to be able to tell them...visible wings or not. There was something else about them...that just made it so obvious now. He was amazed that he and Sam had never noticed before now. "Son of a..." No one brought that many guardians in unless something was happening.

"What?" Sam asked quickly taking Dean's arm as if to lead him back to the room.

"Something's about to go down." Dean replied cryptically. Alturoc lied...he lied...or Dean slammed his fist into his thigh that he had never thought about it...Vanashi had chosen vessels that had or would be fighting with Alturoc...Ambre was still on the would be list...but why he wanted her...had to be completely different then before. So how important was she to the Foci for him to have called in three guardians? Dammit, Dean should have known that this wouldn't have solved everything. He had been a fool. At least in that basement he had the ability to heal...now what did he have?

"Dean how do you know? What's going on?" Sam asked fearfully.

"I'm having visions Sam." Dean replied all at once. It was the easiest lie he could come up with. "Well more like psychic impressions...but still." It was a simple yet whole heartedly complicated and would serve him better in protecting Sam from the truth...it was all his fevered mind could come up with to help him reel Sam in and on his side as quickly as possible. "It started in the car before he plane exploded and I was scared to say anything until I knew what was happening." Dean met Sam's eyes hoping to convince him. He could tell that Sam knew something was still a little off, but it explained a lot. "And I'm telling you...something is about to happen with that foursome over there." Dean motioned to Ambre, Nessa, and the two approaching Guardians.


	3. Chapter 3

1Chapter Three

"Visions...impressions?" Sam looked from Dean to the people he was indicating. The tall brunette with the dark tattered jeans and the T-shirt and leather jacket was smiling brightly as she talked at an even pace to a now smiling Ambre nodding along with her. "Dean, nothing is happening over there." The other two that Dean had mentioned had just made it over and it appeared that Nessa was introducing the two of them to Ambre. There was no way that Dean could be thinking straight.

"Look lets just get you back and bed and we can work all this out." Sam finally said with a sigh. He didn't know what else to do.

"Give me your cell phone." Dean completely ignored him his eyes darting back and forth from the foursome of women to the elevators and back again. If Nessa was here then that meant something else wouldn't be far behind. Black winged devils most likely. They blended in well. Well, better then the chain devils or the shades. They'd just look like suites to everyone else.

"What? why?" Sam started watching as Dean's eyes danced here and there thoughtfully. God why couldn't Dean just take the time to explain this? To make it fit...to make it all make sense for him. It would have made things so much easier in Sam trusting his sick sibling.

"Give it here." Dean said through clenched teeth his muscles bristling into rigid taunt knots of fear as the elevator dinged and he waited for the doors to open. Sam watched the doors and Dean with mounting fear and tension as he fished out the cell. Dean held out his hands breathing a sigh of relief as he watched the couple that exited the elevator take a left away from Nessa and Ambre and toward a different ward.

As soon as Sam popped the metallic device in Dean's hand, his brother had it open and was pressing three buttons. Sam had that one figured out before Dean even had the phone up to his ear. "Dean what the hell?" Who the hell called 911 in a hospital? And why in the world would Dean do that?

"911, what is the nature of your emergency?" The operator called out loud enough for Sam to have heard it. He clinched his fist and teeth at the same time wondering if Dean had truly lost his mind. Maybe he had been wrong to not let Ambre get the doctor. Maybe Dean needed to be sedated. He watched as Dean looked back to the elevators as if waiting for all hell to break loose.

"You've got to send some help!" The desperation in Dean's voice carried the over tones of lies told to further investigations over and over but for some reason Sam had a feeling it wasn't all for show. There seemed to be a hint that a bit of it was for real. "We're at the Huntington Memorial Hospital...Third floor. Someone just open fired with a gun or something." Dean hung up without further explanation.

"Dean if no one actually does that then..." God they would trace the phone call. Sam was going to be up the creek.

"Its going to happen." Dean nodded as he heard the elevator ding again and looked away from Sam to the opening doors feeling his heart skip into over drive. He caught the glint of the black suites exiting the elevator. Three normal enough looking guys...who were anything but.

"Dammit, I hope you've got a piece...cause your about to need it." that was the only explanation that Dean was going to give as he brought his good arm up and yanked the IV out tossing the bag hanging on the stand to Sam in one deft movement. "Hold that for me." He flashed Sam a forced smile feeling his muscle ready for the fight little by little...feeling that needed release from the adrenaline growing from the pent up frustration of having to lie to everyone...from trying desperately to convince himself that this was right...that he wasn't losing his mind...that even though he was all alone on this one...that he was right...that he was right. Dean offered only one statement of warning as he got the IV stand in position to swing. "And Sam...they have knives...don't get hit."

"Wha-" Sam didn't even get a chance to finish the question as Dean brought the IV stand up in his arms and swung it into the approaching man in a suite without batting an eyelash.

"Heya guys...wrong floor." Dean got out as he connected the bottom of that stand with the first of the pack making their way toward the guardians and Ambre. The contact with the black guardian gave him a satisfied whisper of release as he locked eyes with the beast. He had taken him off guard...completely off guard and that made Dean smile...really smile. The IV stand sent the man back a few steps and got a snarl from the whole pack...something just inhuman enough to get Sam's attention. Dean arched both eyebrows knowing that they had just given his brother enough of a growl to get him on board. "Nessa! You've got company!" Dean screamed hoping that that got the guardian's attention and him some help.

The whole of the lobby was about to erupt in gun fire that much Dean knew. Nessa wasn't exactly subtle. He felt her eyes settle on him as she turned her attention to the impending fight breaking out in the elevator lobby. "What the...Cowboy?"

Nessa turned her attention to the elevator lobby her breath catching in her throat as she recognized the harmless guy from the elevator slamming his IV stand into a black winged Devil. How the hell he knew what the thing was was beyond her. But he was obviously trying to hold it and the two behind it off...trying to help. Why the hell would he do that? There was nothing about him that screamed Magus or otherworldly creature...maybe he was just in the know... Maybe he was in with Foci Command...though there was nothing about him that indicated that they could use him in any capacity. Nessa wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth though. She nodded to Rachel and Selena. "Go help them." She breathed taking Ambre by the arm now.

And the guns were out. With one nod from Rachel and Selena the guns came loose from their own wrist straps and slid into each of their hands. "Drop." Selena screamed at Dean who immediately released the IV stand that the black wing had now grabbed a hold of. Dean grabbed Sam on his way to the floor and dragged him down with him as the bullets erupted through out the ward.

Nessa pulled her own piece in one hand as she heard Ambre scream trying to fight her way out of her hold realizing that she had been feeding her a line of shit a moment ago...trying to convince her to come with her. "Shut up!" Nessa screamed at Ambre spying the stairwell with a jerk of the feeble girl in her grasp. "I'm trying to get you out of this alive...doesn't mean I won't knock your ass out if you don't cooperate."

Dean saw Nessa moving for the stairwell with Ambre and pushed himself to a crouch before grabbing Sam again and jerking him up under the barrage going on nearby. "Stay with me, Sammy." Dean screamed as he crawled out of the line of fire pushing Sam ahead of him. Once they were clear Dean jumped to his feet staggering slightly into the wall from his still not perfect condition. He pushed off the wall with a growl not willing to give up.

Dean pushed past Sam breaking into a run for the stairwell that Nessa had just disappeared into with Ambre.

Nessa wrapped both arms around Ambre and jumped the guard rail using her wings to gain her enough resistance to float down the stair well faster then they could have taken the stairs. She looked up with a gasp when the door over head slammed into the wall and then smiled in utter amazement.

Dean took one look down the center of the stairwell and without missing a beat or even warning Sam he grabbed the guard rail with both hands and jumped over the edge plummeting towards the guardian...relying on her to break his fall.

"Son of a..." Nessa swore as she brought her fire arm up and aimed at Dean. Ambre screamed again...this time right in her ear throwing off her aim and the shot went wide before Dean's body slammed into hers and he wrenched a fist into her face snapping her head back. Nessa couldn't believe this guy. Arms occupied offered little resistance to his next barrage of punches until her feet touched the floor and he yanked the gun from her hand simultaneously pulling Ambre out of her grasp. "Who are you?" Nessa was actually a little impressed. He was either nuts or just that good.

"Doesn't matter." Dean breathed. He watched her move in his direction, knew she would have another gun out if he didn't convince her that he meant business. "Don't even think about pulling another piece. I know you regenerate...but I doubt you can heal a bullet to the brain...now unload and put the guns on the floor."

"You are making one hell of a mistake, Cowboy." Nessa breathed her smile quickly fading into a frown and then into a think line of anger. The amusement had left her altogether.

"Yeah well you wouldn't really know...unload 'em now." Dean got out in clenched teeth cocking her gun back again. He watched in satisfaction as she took out the other pistol from her wrist strap and shoulder strap. "The one on your ankle too." He kept the gun level with Nessa's head following her movement with each shift to make sure that should he have to fire that that bullet went where he intended it too.

Nessa paused in amazement that he seemed to know where she kept everything. "You seem to know all about me and I don't know a thing about you." Nessa said as she complied tossing her ankle gun into the floor.

"Better to keep it that way." Dean breathed then looked to Ambre who was trembling beside him, not sure what to do. Sam had just made it down the stairs winded and wide eyed. "Sam, gather up the guns..." he gave just a slight pause honestly feeling bad about his next move, but he couldn't take her with him...she would try to take over and would over power and possibly kill the both of them to protect her charge. "Sorry Ness." He fired three shots. One into each arm and the third into her chest.

She slumped to the floor out cold. Dean knew she would wake up that she would regenerate...that the other two guardians would help her. He hadn't killed her. But none of the three of them knew that except him.

"Dean what the..." Sam had just finished gathering the weapons when he watched the shots hit their mark and the girl slump to the floor apparently dead.

"Sam, come on we don't have time for this." Dean couldn't help but let his gaze freeze on Nessa as his heart wrenched. She had once sacrificed herself for them all and now he had practically handed her over the authorities with out a second thought. The only redeeming moment of comfort was that had they not been her responsibility before he knew that she would have done the exact same thing...and as he told her then...She hadn't been able to keep any of them safe from the get go. She just didn't know how ill prepared she was today. In the end he could rationalize that he was almost doing her a favor.

"You're going to make time...when we get to the car!" Sam screamed knowing that they had to get the hell out of here before the cops showed up.

"Sure." Dean nodded as his hand wrapped around Ambre's again. He felt the shivers and cills race through him from the contact and the moments reprieve from the fighting. Dean's actually let his gaze settle on her a moment and felt his breath hitch again. "I'm sorry about this Ms. Gallagher. But we're going to get Shay out of the house and into protective custody. So don't worry about that. You're both going to be alright. I just need you to trust me...just a little." Dean's voice finally betrayed the compassion and tenderness of his former self for just a moment before he kicked the exit door open and pulled her roughly along with him...letting Sam break into the lead so he could show him where the car was.

"Sam, Call Bobby. I need you to send him to 420 Juliard Rd to pick up a Shay Davidson. He can tell him whatever the hell he has to. I just need him to bring him to Ben Joiner's in Chattanooga, TN and tell him we'll meet him there." Dean caught sight of the Impala in one piece and smiled. He was glad to have it back. Every since the explosion outside of Huntington at that Amish farmstead he had missed his car.

"Why are we headed to Ben's ?" Sam got out as they all reached the car.

"Be careful there." Dean said to Ambre as he helped her into the backseat. "I know none of this makes sense, but Nessa and those three guys coming out of the elevator they were there for you. We're just bringing you along to make sure that you're safe and we mean you no harm at all. We'll have you and you're fiancé together in just a few days so just kinda sit back and relax and Miss I'm really sorry about all this."

Dean then climbed into the passenger seat as Sam looked intent to drive the both of them out of here. "We're going to Ben's because he has something we need. I'd explain it." Dean cut his eyes to Ambre indicating that he didn't want to say it in front of her for the moment.

"Right." Sam replied as he cranked the car. "Here call Bobby yourself. You seem to be the one with all the information there. You know we're going to have to have a long talk right?"

"I know." Dean nodded starring out the windshield as he dialed the number. He didn't want to have that talk and he didn't want to tell the truth...he just wanted to live through this again and this time take that son of bitch Alturoc down. The less involvement everyone had to have the better. Dean could do as much of it by himself as possible...he just had to get to Ben's and get that anti scrying potion into Sam and Ambre and Shay. Luckily Dean had already developed a tolerance to the intoxicating effects so he didn't think he would have any problem once they got there and got the first dose into the everyone.

Still he felt the guilt from excluding everyone...if only to protect them from knowing what almost was. He'd rather Sam thought he was nuts then to explain what had happened...to the whole world...to their father...to him...to Ambre...to Nessa...Dean swallowed the lump in his throat as Bobby answered the phone. "Bobby hey." Dean started.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Dean pulled the bag into the passenger seat with him as he heard Ambre's even breathing from the back. He pulled a pair of jeans and a black t- shirt from the bag wondering when a change of clean clothes had become such a valuable commodity. There was a time not long ago that all of them would have given everything they owned for a shower and a hot meal…for a good nights sleep that didn't bring nightmares and fears of the morning.

Dean swallowed as he pulled the jeans on over the boxers inclining his body upward to be able to fasten them. "We could pull off somewhere, so you can change." He heard Sam's scathed voice reach him without really looking at him. Dean sank into the seat untying the strings of the hospital gown before pulling it off and wading it into a ball…tossing it into the floorboard in case he needed it for scrap later. They never knew when they would need bandages.

"Any particular reason not to?" Sam's voice was harboring more and more of an edge to it when he got no response.

"We need to make Chattanooga." Dean replied flatly as he pulled the T-shirt over his head and reached in the bag for an over shirt with a shiver. "No stops unless we're near on empty."

Sam glanced in the rearview finally sure that Ambre had fallen asleep. "Dean, what happened back there? Who were those people? What's happening to you?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder making sure that Ambre was asleep before he finished pulling the red over shirt on and sighed. This was the moment of truth. He looked to Sam with a heavy heart. The Sam that diverted his attention from the road shortly to meet his eyes…was not the same Sam that had held an entire wave of Shades back on the bridge in Washington. He wasn't the same Sam that Dean had held as he died…had brought back to life. He wasn't the same Sam that had held his and Ambre's baby while Dean tried to heal Ambre in vain. He wasn't the same Sam that had been strapped to his father's chest when they plummeted from the helicopter into a frozen wasteland.

He wasn't the same Sam…but that was just it…he was.

Everyone was as they should have been. The only one really out of place was…Dean.

"I told you. I started getting impressions." Dean began and Sam immediately cleared his throat. "What?"

"That's a load of crap." Sam met his eyes.

"Look I believed you when no one else would have, Sam. Is it that hard to believe." Dean grabbed onto the dashboard as Sam pulled the car off on the side of the road and opened his door getting out of the car.

Sam paused there just outside the door and just stood there. Dean looked around worriedly trying to decide how long it would take Alturoc to lock onto their position. "Sam get back in the car. We can't stop here." Dean called as he opened his door and climbed out pulling himself up against the hood of the car.

"Why not?!" Sam screamed at him throwing his hands up in the air.

"Because it's not safe." Dean said slowly seeing the frustration playing dangerously close to rage in Sam's eyes.

"Why is not safe?" Sam kept going. "What the hell is going on…and don't feed me any more of that psychic stuff. Dean those aren't impressions…you're pulling stuff out of thin air. You knew everything that was about to happen at that hospital. You knew all those people…and you killed that girl."

"That was not a girl." Dean scoffed in retaliation and then in his defense "And I didn't kill her."

"You put three bullets in her…one in the dead center of her chest." Sam threw back at him. "Who is she?"

Dean licked at his lips pulling in a breath as he looked to the road ahead of them. "Get in the car."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on." Sam stood his ground and Dean could tell that he did not intend to move until he got exactly what he wanted.

"Get in the car and I'll tell you about her." Dean met his eyes holding in the same anger that Sam was sheltering, the tension between the two of them mounting through the distance of the car that served as the barrier between them. Both of them held themselves against the hood of the car starring hard at the other.

"No." Sam shook his head. He knew better then to take that deal. He would learn all about the girl and nothing else. "You tell me everything."

Dean's eyes widened in disbelief. "I couldn't fit everything into a week long seminar…let alone the rest of this trip."

"You can hit the highlights." Sam replied defiantly.

"I can't tell you everything." Dean finally forced out breaking eye contact to turn toward the road.

"Why not?"

"Because I promised myself I wouldn't!" Dean screamed back at him turning back on him with tears dotting his eyes and anger playing across his face.

"Break the promise…cause I'm not moving until you do!" Sam called back not understanding any of this. Whatever Dean's reasoning for the reluctance …it couldn't be that bad could it?

"Alright. Get in the car." Dean whispered.

"You'll tell me everything?" Sam asked verifying the deal they were making.

"Yeah." Dean rasped out as if someone had punched him in the gut. He looked away, but Sam saw the tear that rolled past his defenses down his cheek to the crook of his neck. Sam swallowed wondering what in the world he had gotten himself into. Still he climbed into the car, cranked it up and waited for Dean to start before he would pullback out.

"Nessa, is a guardian." Dean began motioning Sam to pull back out. "I met her about six months ago." Dean felt the lull of the road beneath them as he began his tale.

"When we were in Cedarwood, GA?" Sam asked thinking back six months.

Dean laughed…it was a little to long for Sam and it showed the level of frustration that Dean felt. "Stay with me here Sammy, If you want the truth then you have to keep your trap shut."

"Fine…six months ago." Sam nodded as if Dean had slightly bruised his feelings.

"Nessa is a guardian. She's super strong…pretty fast… can regenerate…has a brilliant white wingspan that most people can't see and she protects people…" Dean began as simple a he could.

"Like an angel?" Sam asked

Sam had to wait a good five minutes for Dean to stop laughing. It was wave upon wave of a rolling fit of laughter that seemed to end and only began again. Until Dean finally curbed it, followed by a cough and a drink from his water bottle before he went on.

"No." Dean stated simply.

"She has a fondness for heavy munitions, grenades, rocket launchers, flame throwers, and she hates it when you get in her way. She may protect people, but trust me that don't mean in a pure fashion…in fact I think she's an alcoholic and has casual sex as frequently as she can get away with it. She's not evil though… so that's a plus in her favor." Dean explained Nessa as best as he could leaving out the parts where she had sacrificed herself to destroy the yellow eyed demon and then fought her way out of hell along side their father. He wasn't ready to share that yet. He may have promised to tell him everything, but Dean was going to do it on his terms. "She works for an order of Magus called Foci Command. They kinda have this whole secret organization thing going on. Lots of grand libraries that I would love to visit again…so long as we get some of that grub from the kitchen…" Dean paused lost in the moment. "Man do those little guys know how to cook."

"You've been there?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Yeah…" Dean shrugged the question off to go on with that he was currently talking about even though Sam couldn't imagine when in the last six months Dean had been away from him long enough to befriend a 'guardian' and infiltrate some secret organization. "Ok so Nessa works for Foci command and she gets called out to protect people…people like Ambre. Foci command over sees the whole thing, but Nessa's one job is to make sure that Ambre is alright and that means to hell with everyone and thing in her path. She would have killed us if she had been given half a chance just because she had an inkling of doubt about our validity. That's Nessa."

"And you didn't kill her?" Sam was beginning to wonder about this not being evil thing. And he couldn't believe that at this level of understanding that Dean wouldn't end her…unless he was missing something. Not that Sam personally thought that she needed to die, just that Dean didn't usually have the same hang ups as Sam did and this just wasn't adding up.

"No." Dean shook his head. "I wouldn't kill Nessa. She's great." Dean smiled thinking back to their reunion in the bar just before the subway fiasco.

"Sounds like you really know her." Sam wished that the answers that Dean was giving him was making him feel better…instead he just felt as if they had a lot more ground to cover before any of this would make sense.

"I know her." Dean nodded. "But she doesn't know I do. She doesn't remember." Dean felt the guilt from not further explaining that Sam didn't remember either, but he was testing the waters here as it was.

"What do you mean she doesn't remember?" Sam asked quickly as he took their exit that put them a hundred miles from Chattanooga. "Like Amnesia?"

"No." Dean shook his head. Amnesia would have been welcome. Amnesia meant there was some chance that some one would eventually remember. Dean knew that he would carry that burden alone though and for the rest of his life, because even in telling them what had happened it didn't touch the scars that actually living it created.

Sam paused his grip on the steering wheel tightening as if remembering something else. "You know Ambre too." He said suddenly. "This afternoon when you woke up…she scared you to death…Dean how do you know Ambre? Why did she need to be protected?"

Dean turned in his seat and took in her form again. Ambre had been nearing hysterics when they left the hospital tonight. It was different the first time around. She knew that they had to stick together, that they were all part of something horrible and inescapable. It made staying together easy. This time it was kidnapping and she had yet to gain enough of her wits to fight back. Dean was scared that he wouldn't have what it took to subdue her if she did. Nessa was easy to get pissed at, but Ambre? Dean sighed feeling his heart sink a bit more.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"She doesn't remember either." Sam didn't understand what had happened to cause all these people to not remember anything that Dean was talking about, though he really hadn't mentioned how he knew them.

"No." Dean whispered.

"Why not?" Sam had a feeling he didn't want to know. It was creeping up on him slowly but it was definitely there, encroaching on his soul.

"Because that was the deal. I would remember." Dean didn't feel any better getting that off his chest. " No one else would."

"And by no one else…you mean…"

"The whole world." Dean couldn't look at him.

"So what we all lost time? We all just forgot six months" The long drawn out pause that Sam gave before going on was even harder to deal with, but as he continued Dean was surprised at the lack of malice in his voice at the discovery.

"No, not really." Dean gave a pained laugh starring at his hands in his lap. "It just never happened."

"Never happened?" Sam repeated as if he had heard him wrong. Dean nodded.

"I went back to where the first event happened. To the car, right before the plane crash…that's why I was in such bad shape and you didn't understand why. I wasn't the same me that you had been on the road with. Hell I don't even remember what we were doing that night. Where we went, when I ate…it was like a lifetime ago." Dean could admit the deal because Sam had no context to put with it yet. So it made that much easier.

"You went back in time?" Sam narrowed his eyes in amazement. "Why didn't I come along?"

Dean looked over to Sam silently. "Don't make this harder."

"Dean I mean it, Why didn't I come back with you?"

"Because that wasn't part of the deal." It took Dean forever to get that much out. "I had a limited amount of time to make the decision and you were in the middle of something else." Dean finally coughed out. "It was the only chance we had…we were all about to die."

"Why?"

"That would take a month to fill you in on." Dean scoffed. "Look you want the highlights…I'll give them. But part of the reason you stayed behind is so that you never had to know what happened. So don't expect rosy and beautiful here. It's not that kind of story."

"It sounds like some Back to the Future remake." Sam half laughed.

Dean shook his head unammused. "It's not." He replied simply.

"You know you sound nuts right…I mean if it weren't for tonight and the stuff you seem to know." Sam paused a moment. "And even in leu of that I still have a hard time buying this Dean."

"I never wanted you to buy it, Sam." Dean replied softly in his defense. It wasn't like he had just offered to tell him. "You hounded it out of me. I don't care if you think I've lost it completely."

Sam lost his smile seeing the seriousness cross Dean's face again. Dean was always able to shake things off, but this time…Sam felt the worry that he had felt over him in the hospital only magnified by his current demeanor. "What happened Dean?"

"I have to call Ben." Dean swallowed dodging the question quickly.

"Dean you promised to tell me and Ben wasn't home last time you called." Sam knew Dean was trying to avoid it again.

"I'll tell you when I can…I'm tired of talking about it right now though. And Ben needs to have that stuff ready by the time we get there." Dean dialed the number and placed the receiver next to his ear.

"Or what?"

"The guy that's after her is using scrying and so is Nessa's bunch. So we need an anti-scrying potion. Ben was the only one I could find, before, that could make it…if I had the notes on it I could do it myself. Kinda got used to that one…though I always ended up burning it…you and Ambre though…" Dean laughed and then broke off realizing that he had let something important slip. Before Sam could ask about it Dean cleared his throat and looked out the window. "Regular Betty Crocker's." He finished seriously.

Ambre stirred in the backseat and Sam watched the emotions race across Dean's face like his brother was so tuned into her that he had sensed it before she had event thought about waking. Like he knew how she slept.

"We're almost there." Dean said softly to her as she sat up and adjusted her scrub top catching his eye in the rear view. "I'm sure Shay will be there soon. Bobby wasn't far away and he was going to go pick him up as soon as Shay got back in from that trip."

Ambre paused with a nod. "Who are you guys anyway?" The trauma had worn off and she was ready for her own answers. "I mean how did you know he was gone on business? How did you know they were after me…is this government stuff?"

Dean was glad she seemed to have missed the conversation he had with Nessa where in he mentioned regeneration. It was the only reference to the supernatural that she would have been privileged to so far. "Something like that." Dean nodded. "I'm Dean and this is Sam…Winchester though…not Hanover." Dean replied. "We're going to make sure you live a long healthy life. We'll be able to put all this behind us soon."

"What about the other people? I mean she was telling me that she had to bring me in for protection too." Ambre asked in confusion. Dean wished she could just forget the whole thing.

"The guys from the elevator were the bad guys. Nessa meant well, but she wasn't prepared. She would have gotten you killed." Dean replied with a nod. "She'll be fine by the way. I didn't kill her, but she isn't going to like me very much when she wakes up." Dean smiled back to Ambre trying to make her feel better.

Ambre nodded slowly still dazed by it all…the lack of understanding bothering her.

The car fell silent as Sam processed what Dean had already told him and Ambre tried to keep to herself, trying to distance herself from the strangers in the front seat. Dean simply lost the battle with his mind as it decided to take a trip down memory lane. When they hit Ben's street Dean felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle a bit. He sat up straighter having learned through experience to pay attention even when it seemed like a long shot.

"Dean." Sam breathed as he pulled in front of Ben's house and they all looked to the dark structure with a grimace.

"Oh my God…" Ambre trailed off adjusting her position in the seat. Dean opened his door wide eyed and rose slowly from the car in awe. It was like a demonic playpen, with shadows crawling up and down the wooded exterior coming and going… The shades weren't hiding. It was like they were taunting him…saying come on in if you dare…playing across the blood encrusted windows as they danced over the house. "What is this?" Ambre screamed out in terror and confusion.

Dean grabbed his own set of keys and without thinking on it any more then he had to he popped open the trunk as he yelled "You two stay in the car."

Dean grabbed a huge can of salt from the recess of weapons as well as a shotgun full of rock salt, quickly pulling more rock salt shells into his pocket before looking to the house in dismay. "Alturoc you lying son of a bitch." He breathed.

Sam was already out of the car though walking around the back. "Dean what the hell are you doing?"

"Going to get that recipe." Dean replied meeting Sam's eyes fully intending to walk right into that house and take it whether he had to pry it from dead fingers or not. "And you're staying out here with her." The authority in Dean's voice mirrored the arrogance of the God that had been inside him for the last six months. That kind of pride was hard to forget.

"Like hell." Sam shook his head not about to let Dean go in there…let alone go in there alone. Sam suddenly staggered backwards though when Dean's fist connected with the side of his jaw sending him reeling into the car.

"It's nonnegotiable." Dean called over his shoulder as he hit the pavement at a run for the house. "She dies…we all die…now stay with her." Dean screamed as Sam was collecting himself from the punch holding his face a he stared after his brother in dismay.

"Dean!" Sam screamed his eyes traveling to growing tangled mass of writhing shadows that played across the house as Dean disappeared through the front door.

_**A/N : I have a new Promo Video up for Playback on my profile page. **_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Nessa felt a slight buzz against her hand and swore under her breath. Selena and Rachel had one job. One simple job. All they had to do was go pick Shay up at his house. How hard could that possibly be? It wasn't like they had to fly to a constant call in report from Foci Command as their best magus scryed the location of Ambre. They didn't have to change their altitude to avoid air traffic or spin around in mid air every time one of those bastard Magus got the location of the moving target wrong. All they had to do was sit and wait outside a damn house!

Nessa wasn't chipper now…her good Nessa phase was over as soon as Cowboy loaded her full of bullets…from her own gun! No, gone was the way of pleasant and easy going Nessa…at least as easy going as she got. She still felt a sting in her chest…pain shivering through her arms…God, that man was going to pay.

Nessa looked at the still buzzing phone with a sigh as she flipped it open revealing Selena's number in bold as the caller. "What?" the anger in her voice made Selena pause before relaying her news.

"We have a problem." Selena finally choked out nervously.

"How could you possibly?" Nessa screamed through clenched teeth.

"Someone else is here to pick up Shay as well." Nessa could hear Selena swallow as if she was scared half to death.

"And?" Nessa replied as if there shouldn't be any problem in the world.

"I'm pretty sure he's a hunter?" Selena replied as if that should explain something.

"So you cut through him, take the human and meet me later…this is not rocket science." Nessa couldn't believe that the Foci had done this to her.

"He…uh…"

"Spit it out!" Nessa was almost to Chattanooga….almost ready to kill the bastard that shot her.

"He wants to talk to you." Selena exhaled sharply as Nessa closed her eyes in disbelief. This was an absolute nightmare. There was a pause where in Nessa could hear the phone switching hands and a muffled sound like crying…If Rachel was crying so help her God…Nessa was going to join the resistance. There was no crying in this job! Nessa didn't care if this idiot had a hot poker up her…

"Seems we've had a conflict of interest." Came the drawl of a male voice into the phone as Nessa spotted the house in question and then the car slowly approaching from down the street. She took up a hovering position in mid air.

"I'm listening." Nessa said quickly.

"Not much to listen too." The voice replied. "I'm walking out of here with Shay and if you want your Barbie dolls back you need to send someone to pick them up."

"Why haven't you killed them?" Nessa asked curiously.

"Dean told me not to…also wanted me to give ya a message."

"Who are you?" Nessa pushed further.

"Not important…the message though was that you have no idea what you're getting yourself into…and that if ya want to defeat Alturoc or at least protect you're charges then you're going to have to work with him…not over him. He said shooting you was the only way to get Ambre out in one piece and that he regretted havin' to do it…"

"Oh he's going to regret it." Nessa cut him off.

"Look honestly I don't know what half of what I just said meant…and I'm done…I've got my boy here and he's going to stay safe. So nice talking with ya and all, but you have a nice night…like I said you're girls are hanging around if you decide you want 'em back." And the phone went dead…Nessa would have thrown it had she not needed it. Instead, she glared at the car that was pulling up across the street from the house in question as she moved into a better position to exact her revenge and retrieve her charge.

It wasn't until she got close enough to see the shades coating the house like slime and the blood soaked windows that she felt chills race through her like lightning. She watched in horror as Cowboy…also now known as Dean retrieved a giant can of salt from the trunk of his car and a shotgun before decking his buddy and then making a full out run for the house.

"He's crazy." Nessa half laughed half starred in shock as he kicked the front door open and walked right on in. The act itself stirred feelings inside her that she had long ago quit trying to stir. She felt the guns in her hands before she even realized what her plan was.

Ambre was in the back seat of the car. This should have been simple. Shoot the other guy and take her back…easy enough…but Nessa couldn't force herself in that direction…not just yet. Apart of her just wanted to see if he came back out …in one piece.

Dean's foot connected with the door and sent it flying inward as he heard Sam shout his name from the street and he ignored his brother to call out for Ben. He got his reply in the form of a scream from the kitchen and sniffed back the unease wavering through him.

Before him in a tangled, seething, almost breathing black mass the walls swelled in and out. The shades consistency mirrored an impenetrable smoke that had enough substance to glisten in the flickering bloodied bulbs of the interior of the house. Dean noticed that the space just before the front door was relatively shade free as he took in the unbroken entrance table bearing two huge flower arrangements that framed an ornate mirror on the wall. Dean wasn't even sure that the plan had become solid as he dropped the can of salt and picked up the first vase.

Positioning the shotgun under his right armpit, Dean tossed the flowers out of the vase and then dumped the water over his head. He gave a gasp as the water soaked into his freshly changed clothes and then followed up by doing the same with the second vase. The shades were growing restless…he could feel them taking notice of him…moving in his direction.

"God, this is going to burn later." Dean breathed as he set down the second vase and picked up the can of salt. He had popped the top in mid run for the house and now looked into the can with a frown. "Hang on Ben!" Dean's words seemed to help him strengthen his own resolve as he slammed his eyes shut and dumped the salt over his head. He immediately felt the grit stick to the water coating his skin and clothes and grimaced at the bit of a bite the burn was already having before he shook his head lightly and cleared away his eyes just enough to see.

Dean gagged on the salt that fell into his mouth as he opened his eyes and inhaled the burn, tasted the bite. Still he moved the can to his other hand and repositioned the shotgun to clear a path to Ben. He took two steps forward remembering what just one of these monsters could do with their clawed incorporeal hands. Remembering that it had been a shade that had killed Sam months ago in a world that no longer existed. Just one that had near made mince meat of his brothers brain. Dean heard a shriek as he took another step forward and felt the pain radiate from the shadows as they back away.

Dean smiled.

So far so good. He leveled the shotgun at the doorway leading to the kitchen and fired the rock salt spray, opening just enough of a space to give him a window to jump through. He really didn't want to have to take the time to reload so he hoped that his salted body idea was going to hold out for him as he broke for a run through the door, through the wriggling near weightless bodies that separated him from Ben. Dean jumped, head first through the doorway hole, feeling the shades close around him with a scream of tearing flesh. They instantly tasted the salt against them though and after the initial ripping flew backwards away from him. He hit the floor on the other side at a roll landing winded at the free flowing blood that ran down his arms and his flanks even through the tattered over shirt and T-shirt.

Dean nearly passed out when the salt hit the fresh wounds and he had to fight the black lines racing across his vision to keep his focus on saving Ben and getting that antiscrying recipe.

" Son of a bitch." He got out through clenched teeth at the pain before spotting Ben on the floor pinned beneath a shadow. "Ben!" Dean screamed taking aim at the shadow on top of him…so much for not having to reload. "Close your eyes!" Dean fired the shot into the shadow and watched it jumped through the ceiling in pain freeing Ben just enough for Dean to see the extent of the damage. The man was not looking good. He found the recipe card on the floor next to Ben…the writing slightly marred by the man's blood.

The green goo of lost potions and broken glass littered the floor causing Dean to curse under his breath.

Ben gasped up at him blood slowly seeping from his lips as he struggled to breath. Claw marks ran deep into his flesh through the tattered remains of his clothing…and the rest of his coven… Dean noticed them at the table…splayed open like some impromptu exploratory surgery gone wrong. "I'm so sorry." Dean whispered as he leaned down quickly slamming the barrel of the gun open as he riffled through his pockets for the next two rock salt shells. "You hang on Ben. I'm getting you out of here."

This was all his fault. Dean should have known that Alturoc would sent himself back as well. No one that wanted that much power and control was going to leave so much to chance. Still, Dean closed the barrels and cocked the gun back before winding an arm under Ben's back and heaving the man up and over his shoulder both of them groaning in pain from the action. Dean turned back toward the doorway and raised the gun. "Hold on Ben." He whispered again. He fired two shots into the mass again and then ran through the opening again feeling it close around the two of them and the clawing that resulted.

The two scream in tandem from the tearing of flesh before Dean pitched forward catching himself and Ben under the weight of one arm and a set of straining knees. Dean's head snapped up as the shot gun sounded from the doorway.

He took in Sam standing, firing two rounds into the tangled mass before switching off hands to the other shot gun and firing the next set of rounds. Over his own shoulder unconscious from What Dean could only imagine was shock, was Ambre. She didn't exactly have the strength of a god to pad her slide into the supernatural this time…and the ride had to be hell on her…thus the passing out.

Dean let out a strangled laugh as he shoved himself upward under the weight of Ben's body and made his way through the hole that Sam had cleared. Along the way Dean popped open his own gun again and began to reload. He had just snapped the barrel shut past the front doors when he spotted her. "Sam, run." Dean breathed stepping up just beside Sam in time to see Nessa headed in their direction.

Before Dean could offer further explanation Nessa's body hit Dean like an airborne missile. The force of the impact simultaneously knocked Ben from his grasp and Dean backward into the hedgerow that encased the small yard. He landed hard with Nessa on top of him.

The first fist that connected with his jaw snapped his head back with enough force to cause his neck to pop. Dean wasn't even able to force out a sound as the second punch landed. He was surprised when she seemed to hold back the third punch as if her first two had done more damage then she expected, proving, in fact, that he was human. "Who are you?" She growled.

"Dean Winchester." Dean spit out a mouth full of blood from his busted lip with a cough as he met her eyes. Dean shifted his eyes slightly at the sound of shotgun cocking and let his head slip back to the ground, his eyes closed as he tried to collect himself amongst the pain.

"What do you want with Ambre?"

"To keep her safe." Dean whispered wishing Sam had taken him up on that whole running thing…cause now he was worried what Nessa would do if she decided that she didn't believe him.

"From who?" So far so good. At least she was still asking questions.

"Alturoc." Dean lulled his head upward to look at her.

"How do you know about him?" Nessa motioned to Ambre seeming satisfied to be getting as much information as she was getting. "And about the girl?"

"It's a long story." That was the last of the satisfaction as Nessa's fist connected with his temple and Sam fired the shotgun in unison with her strike.

The rock salt caught her in the shoulder and she growled barely flinching. "You shoot me again…and I'll break his neck…got me?" She called out. Sam's eyes widened in shock that the blast had so little effect on her. "Now you settle down there, Sugar."

"Look he's telling the truth, and I'm not going to let you kill my brother!" Sam screamed back adjusting Ambre on his shoulder.

"I was sent back in time to stop, Alturoc." Dean rasped out his voice fading as coherency took a back seat to his declining condition. "If you kill me…he wins hands down. I've already seen the capacity of his armies."

"Who sent you?" Nessa narrowed her eyes in distrust.

"That's kind of complicated." Dean scoffed and then instantly regretted the slight pressure he put on his ribcage as he doubled over coughing. Once he had composed himself he felt Sam and Nessa's eyes both settle on him as he delivered an explanation that he wished had been left unsaid as soon as it left his mouth. "Look last time around you went to hell, literally, and clawed your way back out…to stand beside me, and him, and her… in that damn fight and it was a lost fcking battle. So I understand the lengths you're willing to go to, but you don't know a damn thing about me. So don't judge me based on this one conversation."

The house behind them gave a groan under the strain of the shade's still writhing across it, obviously not having been given the orders to follow the group just yet. "Any chance we can continue this in the car?" Dean had barely gotten that out before Nessa rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She grabbed him by the shirt front and yanked him to his feet slinging him like a sack of potatoes over her own shoulder. Dean screamed out near losing his fight to stay conscious as he struck her shoulder. Nessa then quickly grabbed Ben up, slightly more cautiously with her free hand. Sam's eyes widened taking in her strength and he got a sort of "what" shrug out of Nessa before the two of them started back toward the Impala. "Alright, I'll let you live…long enough to cart your ass in to Foci Command." She held out her hands to Sam. "Give me the keys."

"We're not going to Foci Command." Dean wheezed into her back near limp against her.

"You're in no position to fight me on this." Nessa laughed out as she tossed Ben into the back of the car and set him up against Ambre who Sam had just placed on the other side of the back seat.

"Don't be so sure." Dean breathed as he slowly and with small movements shifted his arms weakly against her. She didn't seem to see him as a threat any more. Dean slid the knife from his wrist strap and with the remaining strength in his body he slammed it into her back hoping he hit a lung. Nessa's gasp letting him know he had.

Nessa managed to toss him off her, head first, over her back before she turned on him as he hit the pavement hard and she slowly sank to the ground out cold.

"Tie her up and put her in the trunk." Dean gasped out as he struggled to even move on the pavement before he met Sam's eyes to let him know he was quite serious. Dean rolled onto his hands and knees panting from the pain sweeping through his body as he kept eye contact. "Dammit, do it before she wakes up." Dean rasped out struggling to his feet before staggering into the side of the car where he held himself trying to gain enough strength to get around to the passenger side.

Sam couldn't believe he was doing this. He looked to his brother's battered form before walking to the trunk and getting the rope to tie Nessa up.

"Hog tie her." Dean called out as he stumbled around the car and nearly passed out on the hood.

"Dean" Sam raised his eyebrow and met Dean's eye from his position on the hood of the car.

"Do it!" Dean screamed out and then pushed off the hood hard before he finally made it to the passenger seat and collapsed there slamming the door shut behind him.

He was teetering on the thresh hold of consciousness by the time Sam got into the driver's side having done as Dean asked with Nessa. "You and Ben need a Hospital." Sam cranked the car as soon as he was settled in the car and put it in drive.

Dean simply lulled his head against the seat in protest. "No." he choked out. "Hit a drug store for some medical supplies then we find some out of the way motel with a kitchen for the night. After we get this potion cooked up and everyone had taken it we need to meet up with Bobby. Then we all sit tight for a while. "

"Dean…"

"Sam just drive." Dean whispered out suddenly. Sam watched him close his eyes and then the tears that slipped down his brothers face as the frayed edges of Dean's soul seemed to be unraveling faster and faster. It didn't help that his body was now near as broken as what was left of his sanity. Sam had seen Dean reckless but this…tonight…this was a whole other level and he didn't know how long Dean could possibly survive this way.

One thing was for sure, Sam wasn't about to let Dean destroy himself. If he had to tie him down and get the answers out of him, he was going to find a way to help him. "So who sent you back?" Sam hadn't missed the hesitation when Nessa asked it. "And whose Alturoc?"

Dean swallowed back the tears and tried to quiet his sadness, but it came out in a sob instead.

"Never mind." Sam swallowed as he heard the response that Dean gave. "Just calm down Dean…I'll get us that room…and the supplies."

Dean nodded as best he could.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Dean closed his eyes as the steaming water from the shower pelted scolded skin from being in the spray for so long. He would have been impressed with the water heater for the Motel Bonita had he had half an inclination to even entertain such a trivial thought at the moment. Dean exhaled his mouth wide as he breathed against the water streaming down his face and then raked a hand over his face to clear the water enough to breath again. He tilted his head down and watched the pink tinged funnel that circled the drain.

If he could have washed away six months of remorse, guilt, confusion, pain, joy, love…he would have. But no matter how long he let that water pound against his skin, no matter how long he washed the salt from his still open wounds, now matter how many tears he let mingle into the spray, it wasn't enough. Dean let his forehead touch the fiberglass before him as a sob tore through him bringing him slowly sliding to the floor of the bathtub.

He didn't know how long he sat there in a huddled mass rocking against the water as he finally aloud himself the luxury of cracking, even just a little. Just enough. Something to let the feelings that he repressed for too long vent so that he wouldn't completely break. He was so far gone in the moment to hear the door slowly inch open and close behind the intruder.

"Dean?" Dean instantly stiffened when he heard Sam call his name softly as if trying to wake him. "You alright?"

Dean knew the only reason Sam had come in for this conversation was because there was a room full of people on the other side of that door, but he still felt the anger, that his brother's interruption caused, and the frustration of having to cover up his own pain, hit him like a bust to the gut.

"Yeah." Dean coughed over the answer as he tried to clear the remnants of the gut wrenching sobs from the back of his throat. "You talk to Bobby?"

"He's ten minutes out." Sam replied quietly.

Dean pulled himself to his feet hoping like hell that Sam hadn't seen his shadow rising from the bathtub basin.

"Can we talk a minute?" Sam asked finally betraying his real reason for entering the room.

"The potion ready?" Dean had given Sam the task of preparing it, because he knew he wouldn't botch it.

"Ten minutes," Sam's tone was guarded and it was bugging Dean to no end. It was like he thought he was going to lose it. "Dean it's about the last six months…"

"How's Ben?" Dean didn't want to talk about, not now, not like this, not ever really, but especially not now.

"Ambre's patching him. Says he needs rest and is recommending a hospital, persistently." Sam was getting tired of the dodging.

"Tough luck." Dean whispered turning the water off as he left the shower curtain pulled shut, not moving.

"Dean…"

"Sam…don't" Hell the barrier of the shower curtain was feeling more and more like a confessional booth that had been forced on him.

"I just want to know…" Sam's voice was pleading for answers. It was is if he thought he knew the extent of the damage, but Dean knew he had no clue.

"Trust me." Dean half scoffed giving away the fact that he'd been crying as he sucked in a breath and coughed again. "You don't."

Dean watched in dismay as Sam's hand wound a bit around the shower curtain and his little brother pulled it back just enough to meet Dean's eyes. "You got to let me help you here…you are losing it."

Dean felt his jaw tighten as he suddenly swung past Sam with a hard line of anger pulling his mouth taught while he wrenched the towel from the rack and wrapped it around himself with a hiss. He stepped right past Sam pausing a moment to meet his eyes as if to dare him to say that again. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I'm fine."

Sam let out a loud scoff watching as Dean made it past him and reached for his bag in the floor. "Yeah you're the picture of stability…Dean, come on…what happened?"

Dean couldn't believe that Sam was pushing him, the little prick. After everything…after everything he was going to keep it up…going to just keep grilling and grilling and wouldn't shut the hell up for two seconds about what was tearing Dean to pieces on the inside. Dean rounded on Sam in rage. God, it pissed him off to no end that Sam wouldn't stop. Dean didn't even realize when he was grabbing his little brother by the shirt….slamming him into the wall… feeling some release from that rough contact that near knocked the breath from his brother. " In the last six months…I've run from everything evil you can possibly imagine…I've watched you die…I've watched the world go to hell…I've seen things that no one…" Dean felt the tears coming of their own volition now. "No one… should ever see. And I have never felt so helpless…we ran and we ran and we ran …" Dean screamed out against the tears and the pain welling up in side him his hands tightening around Sam as he held him shoved up against the wall. "Even when we were fighting we ran…and you know by the time we actually were powerful enough to maybe turn the tide…thing were too far gone." Dean broke through the tears with a growl that completely encompassed the level of frustration coursing through him through the tears.

As if realizing for the first time that Sam was pinned to the wall and that he was responsible for it, Dean released him and staggered back against the sink tearing his gaze to the floor for a moment. As he fought to get his emotions under control he slowly pulled his gaze up to meet Sam's. "I'm through running." He whispered.

"Dean…" Sam didn't know what to say as he felt his heart wrench from seeing Dean faltering even in his resolve to keep going. He paused sensing that Dean had more to say.

"Get out of here and let me get dressed we don't have time for Q and A right now. Go pour that potion up for everyone…we can talk about this after that. After Bobby gets here with Shay." Dean had to pull it together.

Dean reached for the door so that Sam could make his exit and he quickly opened it motioning for his brother to go on. Sam however stepped and shoved it closed again moving closer to Dean stepping right in front of him. He wasn't going to let him do this. Sometimes the only way to get Dean to talk was to just keep pushing. "No…not until you tell me more…Why were we running? What happened to us…to YOU…what happened Dean?"

Dean glared back at Sam stilling the enormous urge to hit his brother. "Sam, go pass out that potion or we're not going to have time to finish this conversation." Dean hissed out. Dean grabbed his clothes and quickly pulled them on and without giving Sam a chance to go on he opened the door and stomped out of the bathroom.

Dean took in Ambre and Ben from the corner of his eye on the bed as Ambre leaned over the man trying her best to put him back together. He stomped past them silently and walked outside the room yanking his keys from the table along the way as he made his way to the car. Dean stopped before the trunk and quickly yanked it open taking in a freed Nessa. Hell he was surprised she hadn't punched her way through the back seat or just taken the damn trunk door from it's hinges. But she burst out swinging. He had been ready for that though and slammed a fist into her face as soon as she jumped at him. She fell back against the trunk bed and pushed herself up with a growl instantly.

"That's it Cowboy!" She screamed and jumped from the trunk onto Dean. Nessa wrapped her legs around his waist as she wound her arms around his shoulders and slammed her head into his taking the both of them to the asphalt. Dean smiled against the pain as he hit and managed to slam his own head into hers snapping her head back. Nessa smiled back. Dean instantly brought his fist up and hit her again getting a broader smile as she pulled a hand from around his neck and wiped the blood from her busted lip. She laughed out and slowly unwound herself from his body as she pulled herself to her feet and then grabbed him up by the front of the shirt, eliciting a hiss of pain from the action. "You know I really like you." She nodded before she slammed his body into the open trunk and then slammed the door shut. She stopped there and patted the trunk a moment shaking her head. Some people would never learn.

Suddenly a shotgun blast sounded from inside the trunk and she felt the spray of metal as the bullet tore into her chest…again. Nessa stared down at the trunk in amazement as she slid to the ground. A moment later a hand came out of the hole that had been blasted in the trunk and found the keys still in the lock. He twisted the key and then slowly pulled his hand back through before shoving the trunk open with a "oomph'. He lay there a moment to catch his breath. So much for the car being unscathed.

Dean pulled himself out of the trunk, grabbed a bag out, slammed the door shut then reached down and picked up Nessa's bloodied form before carrying her into the room. Sam had just made his way to the door in time to see Dean carrying Nessa in. He had heard the gunshot and been hurrying to Dean's defense, but it looked like he had everything under control. "'Scuse me." Dean breathed pushing past Sam.

He slammed Nessa's body down on the free bed and watched as her eyes opened taking in pained and labored breaths. "You're going to pay…"

"Oh save it…" Dean shouted at her. "You should be thanking me…I'm doing you're damn job for you." Dean pulled out a set of handcuffs and slid one against Nessa's right wrist before pulling her up and carrying her to the barred window. He slid the chain around two of the bars pulling her wrist's painfully tight against them as he slid the other into place. "Now sit." He called out as he went to finish Sam's job for him. The potions were sitting out in little plastic cups and Dean grabbed the first two bringing the green goo to Ambre and Ben first.

"Drink up guys. Sam get your own cup." Dean wasn't going to be able to rest until he knew that they were free of detection. Dean walked over and downed one cup then refilled his cup and took it to Nessa. He turned his daring gaze on her. "This is an anti-scrying potion…you want to keep her safe…you drink it…" He explained all at once.

"I'm not drinking that." Nessa shook her head.

"Fine." Dean walked over to the bag and pulled his .45 out. He aimed at Nessa's head. The response from the room was immediate as everyone began to protest the action. "Shut up!" Dean screamed at them all. As the room fell to silence all eyes on Dean and Nessa Dean continued. "Alturoc isn't two steps ahead…he's already walked it… backtracked it… and he isn't pulling the punches…and as arrogant and self righteous as you tend to be. I'm going to need you on my side…and not dead. So I suggest you drink so we can get on with this. Everyone drinks." Dean called out making a sweep of the room with his eyes.

Ambre and Ben quickly choked theirs down as Sam went ahead and drank his own cup full of the vile potion. Dean arched an eyebrow at Nessa. "So what's it going to be?"

Nessa was quiet in a sort of silent seething as she glared back at him. "Fine…I'll drink it." She growled out finally. Dean nodded and tossed the gun to Sam. "Keep it on her." Dean pointed to his head to explain just where to keep it pointed "…she attacks me you waste her."

Dean took the cup to Nessa and helped her get the drink in her. As soon as she finished he backed off quickly. Sam lowered the gun feeling lightheaded all at once.

"What the…" Ambre was sinking against the bed fast and Ben was already out cold.

"Has a hell of a kick don't it." Dean sighed. "Took us a month to get over the intoxication the first time. Good thing I've built up a tolerance. You guys are going to feel a little drunk though for a while."

Dean turned to the door as a knock sounded. He quickly made his way over taking his gun back from Sam and looked through the peephole. Bobby and a man he'd never seen before stood outside. Dean quickly tucked the gun away and opened the door. "Come on in." Dean motioned them past the chained up guardian and the sacked out Ambre and Ben watching as Sam sank into a chair speechless as he tried to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head.

"First things first." Dean called out and went on to get two more potions. Shay was already checking on Ambre screaming out questions as he motioned to Nessa and then tried to wake Ambre. "She'll be fine." He promised Shay though it was of little comfort at the pure chaos enveloping the room for now. "Here." He handed the first cup to Bobby then went to Shay with the second. "Drink it up…it's the only thing that's going to get us a good nights sleep."

"What is this?" Bobby wrinkled his nose with a sniff of the contents.

"Antiscrying potion…it's going to keep the bad guys off our tail." Dean replied quickly. Dean watched as Shay drank his before he turned back to Bobby in time to see a shrug and the man downed the contents.

Dean sank into a free chair watching the various effects the potion was having around the room. Shay passed out almost instantly now resting next to Ambre and Ben all laid out on the same bed in various positions. Sam fought to stay conscious in the chair across from Dean. Bobby staggered a bit but Dean figured his tolerance was about as good at Nessa who seemed unphased.

At any rate the silence from the shock to their systems was almost welcome and Dean sank lower into his chair exhausted. "Lets get some sleep." He finally said to bobby with out offering any explanations yet. "We've got a long day tomorrow." Dean glanced at Nessa as Bobby arched an eyebrow in the girls direction in confusion.

"Dean," Bobby motioned to Nessa questioningly.

"What?" Dean replied as if he had no idea what the problem was.

Bobby gave his head a shake widening his eyes as he pointed at Nessa waiting for an explanation.

"Oh…yeah…You want a blanket, Ness?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Dean?" He raised up in the bed angling his head over the pillow as Sam shifted on the tiny love seat, restlessly. It was Ambre's turn to have the other bed…and Dean should have known where she would end up. He couldn't believe she hadn't woken him screaming. Dean scooted against the sheets rubbing at his eyes.

"_Sam!" Dean called out all at once. Sam jumped and rolled off the love seat into the floor. He hit his hands and knees and the coffee table instantly levitated so fast and hard that it splintered against the ceiling spraying the room in wood fragments. Dean and Ambre both looked to Sam who shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Easy there, Tiger." Dean chuckled with a shake of his head as he pulled the covers back so that Ambre could get into bed with him. "Bed's free." _

_Sam slowly nodded. They were all accustomed to it now, so Sam was just beginning to wonder why Dean and Ambre didn't start out in the same bed every night instead of this constant middle of the night fiasco. "Thanks." Sam whispered as he pulled himself into the now empty bed and found the warmth of where Ambre's body had lain. "Night guys." _

"_Night, Sam." Ambre and Dean replied in unison. _

_Dean wrapped an arm around Ambre's side as she scooted over until her back nestled against his chest. "You want to talk about it?" He whispered referring to the nightmares. Sometimes she wanted to and sometimes she told him to shut the hell up and to go to sleep. So, he always took his chances. _

"_It was the farmstead." She whispered softly and he felt her body shudder against his. Dean wrapped his arm around her tighter. It was never easy to hear her talk about that place. Hell if he hadn't forced Nessa to go back, they may have never found her. Dean closed his eyes his own body betraying his unease with the topic of choice by a tremble that shot through him. "You know, climbing out…all the body parts." She swallowed the lump in her throat to go on. "I can still feel it all against my skin." her voice fell. "The blood." She trailed off again before clearing her throat in an attempt to hide the tears that were in her voice. "What made you come back? There shouldn't have been anything left of me in that crater." _

_Dean was quiet for a long time. The reality of the situation was that a part of him only wanted to go back as a show of force to Nessa, because after seeing that explosion. He had his doubts. Still, he wasn't about to walk away without knowing…and if possible then to resurrect her. There was something about sharing the burden of harboring gods that forged a bond. "We couldn't just leave. We didn't know If you were alive or not."_

"_Nessa, yanked Sam out of the way and jumped just before that whole place blew to kingdom come…it was a pretty good guess on her part to keep moving." Ambre argued in Nessa's defense. "Besides, you know she always meant well." There was an edge of sadness to her voice speaking of the departed. _

"_Yeah well. Her judgment was off from the beginning. She didn't know what she was dealing with…this was never something she should have been given alone. The Foci botched the whole job. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard was in league with Alturoc."_

"_Surely not." Ambre chuckled softly, but the laugh died out of her voice quickly as she thought on the possibility. "God, I'm never going to be able to go to sleep tonight." She whispered. _

_Dean pulled her closer to his body and tucked the blanket around them both. "All right now, we just have to get your mind on something else." he paused thoughtfully. As close as they slept together, they had never even kissed. Still he let those wayward thoughts go on their way as he reminded himself that her boyfriend was dead and that she needed time. They had started working out a system of reliving the better part of their childhood when Ambre couldn't get back to sleep from one of her nightmares. "So what'll it be? Summer at Gram gram's? The sophomore sleep over? " Dean paused. "That's my favorite one by the way." He smiled against her cheek. "Your Dad's marathon victory? Aunt Miriam's tea parties?" God he hoped she didn't pick the latter one. He had to remind himself not to bring that up any more. He'd never met Miriam, but she sounded like a freak and well…Dean shook his head at just what his imagination drummed up on the woman. _

"_How about something new. My senior trip in Cancun." She smiled as she relaxed her head against his chest. _

"_Oh now this I've got to hear." Dean smiled as well and settled in to the lull of her voice his mind flooding with visions of scantily clad women prancing up and down the beach to the tune of events that Ambre was playing with her tale. It wasn't long after she trailed off in mid sentence that Dean realized that her body had finally won the battle to get her to sleep and he finally settled in to get a few hours in. _

_Dean had just closed his eyes when he heard the skitter behind him. It sounded like claws against plaster in a fashion that could rip the plaster free, like it was tearing as it moved about frantically. Dean was surprise Sam hadn't come awake and broken something else in the room in a panic. He slowly unwound himself from Ambre and rolled over. He had just rolled onto his back when a flash appeared from out of no where and a woman's deathly visage stared down at him. "Inan." Dean heard himself whisper even as he realized that this had to be a nightmare…She trailed a finger across his cheek as he lay there paralyzed and he felt the skin decay on contact, rotting instantly. _

Nessa twisted her wrists uncomfortable a she grimaced again at the loss of circulation to her hands. The damn prick. She watched him breathing deeply against the bed he had sprawled out in. He looked relatively peaceful. God how she would change that if she could just get her hands free.

The occupants of the room seemed to shift at once as Nessa noticed the soft morning light beginning to peak in through the center of the curtains that were bunched up around her. Cowboy's buddy sat up from the other side of Cowboy's bed and blinked as if he'd just woken from a dream and looked around a moment before settling back.

The hunter that had bested Selena and Rachel rolled over in the floor and after looking over the room and finding it settled he rolled back over and went back to sleep. The charge and her fiancée didn't stir, they didn't have they reflexes for it yet, the paranoia. And the other guy…he looked half past dead his breathing shallow on the other side of Ambre. "Hey Sugar." Nessa whispered to Sam who was now pulling the covers back and headed…stumbling into the wall to the bathroom. Nessa gave a smile with a shake of her head. That potion was something else. She felt like she'd mainlined an entire pint of Jack. This guy obviously didn't have her tolerance. "Lightweight." She whispered under her breath. She waited for him to return from the bathroom and tried again to get his attention…without waking Cowboy. "Sugar…" She called to him.

Sam finally seemed to notice her as began to make his way over pausing a few feet away as he remembered what Dean had said to Bobby about staying away from her. "Something wrong?" Sam asked softly.

Nessa let her mouth fall open in shock. Was something wrong?! She was handcuffed to a window! "You could say that. You know you're friend is going to get us all killed right."

Sam smiled pulling a chair up to sit a bit away from her. "You're seriously trying to mind trip me?" Sam asked in wonder. He'd seen Dean shoot and stab the women and she already looked better then most everyone in the room. Sam would take even broken Dean's word over hers any day of the week.

Nessa returned the smile. "I'm just telling the truth."

Sam paused. He was ready for someone to start talking…He looked back to Dean then returned his gaze to Nessa. "Yeah all I've heard from the get go is that we're in trouble…Whose Alturoc?"

Nessa narrowed her eyes looking from Dean to Sam in confusion. They seemed to be pretty close and she vaguely even remembered Sugar here calling Cowboy his brother…so how come Cowboy knew and Sugar here didn't. "Boy he sure keeps you on a need to know basis." She breathed.

"Things are a little weird right now." Sam admitted looking to his hands that were resting on his knees at the moment.

Nessa let her head fall back against the bars with a sigh. "Tell me about it."

"So who is Alturoc?" Sam hoped she would answer the question, because that was one less he had to try and pry from Dean.

"He's a demon Lord." Nessa replied angling her head in his direction though still resting lulled back against the bars. "He's making some pretty powerful plays lately."

"And he wants Ambre?" Sam smoothed his hands together rubbing them back and forth nervously. "Why?"

"They keep me on a need to know basis too." Nessa smiled softly.

"Foci Command?" Sam asked trying to piece together all the ramblings Dean had mentioned in the last little bit. She nodded. "And you're a guardian?"

"He really hasn't told you much, has he." Nessa frowned looking back to Cowboy in dismay. What if he wasn't lying back at that house? Had he really been sent back in time?

Sam shook his head. "He will."

"That what you tell yourself to make yourself feel better?" Nessa asked softly.

"He will." Sam replied defiantly. God he could see why Dean got so pushy with Nessa. She had some effect on people. Nessa chuckled.

"Sugar, I've been protecting people since the eighteenth century. I've seen and met soldiers from every walk of life." She nodded her head in Dean's direction. "And that man…he doesn't want to talk…he's waging his own private war right now. So whatever hope you're holding out for some quick and easy answers…I'd let it die and move on now."

"Inan!" Dean suddenly screamed out loud enough to rouse the entire room, then he was jumping from the bed scrambling to get to his feet shaking in a cold sweat as he seemed to be trying to frantically brush something off his face.

Sam pushed himself from his seat and moved in that direction as Bobby was scrambling off the floor and Nessa pulled herself up along the bars to get a better look at this. Ambre shifted in the bed pulling herself up against Ben as she suddenly realized that Shay was there and still unconscious, but didn't get to relish that for the fact that someone was screaming nearby. She looked to Dean trying to get her eyes to focus.

"Dean!" Sam called out grabbing him by the shoulders as Dean suddenly began to take in the room and the people. Breathing hard he had to remind himself that he had been sent back…that this wasn't the same room from his dream…that no one knew…Dean slipped back to the bed fighting to catch his breath his breathing becoming erratic. "Dean?!" Sam noticed it right away. He looked to Ambre, being that she was the only medical professional in the room at the moment. "Can you help him?!" Sam was calling as Bobby moved for his bag.

"Don't bother." Bobby called out quickly. "He's hyperventilating. He just needs to calm down."

"Hey, It's alright." Sam began as Bobby explained it and Sam sank to Dean's side on the bed. He placed a hand on Dean's shoulder trying to offer him some support. Dean quickly reacted by pushing him roughly off the bed.

"Don't touch me." Dean got out between clenched teeth as Sam fell flat on his bottom hitting the other bed with his back and a grimace.

"Hey…hey." Ambre rolled off the end of her bed making her way over, which stopped Bobby in mid-stride. Bobby had been about to go slap him. Ambre's approach seemed to be almost worse. "Look just take a slow breath…Like this." Ambre showed him the motions and waited until he slowly began to follow the directions. "Just slow and easy, everything is alright."

"Everything is not alright!" Nessa screamed out.

"You be quiet!" Sam yelled out looking from Dean struggling again over his shoulder to Nessa.

"Hey quit yelling!" Bobby called out loudly to Sam.

"What the…" Shay finally woke up sitting up in the bed with a start. "Ambre?" He spotted his fiance perched over Dean trying to get him to breath slower her face entirely too close to the man for Shay's liking.

"Oh this is rich." Nessa smiled. "Cowboy had a bad dream!"

"Nessa, I swear!" Sam began again.

"Sam!" Bobby called.

"Just breath slowly…" Ambre was saying as she tried to focus Dean's attention on her, though Shay was definitely now causing her to split her attention as she looked from Dean to Shay and then back to Dean.

Ben roused startled from all the screaming and looked from Nessa chained to the window to Shay crawling over Ben's battered form to get to his fiance to Sam rounding the bed and Bobby stepping in his way. "Uh…guys…" Ben whispered in confusion.

"Sam, calm down." Bobby was yelling holding him back from Nessa.

"Not until she shuts up!" Sam retaliated to Bobby.

"Bring it on, Sugar!" Nessa called just waiting to get a hold on someone to work out her aggression.

Dean took in the downward spiral of the room's occupants…the decent into disorder and confusion and he began to take slow even breaths. In one fluid movement he had Ambre off him, thrusting her into Shay's arms, as he pushed himself off the bed, and then headed for Sam and Bobby. Dean stopped near the middle of the room in front of the television. "Hey!" Dean suddenly panted out at a scream silencing the increasingly hostile group.

All eyes were caste instantly in his direction. "Sam, sit down somewhere!"

"Tsk. Tsk. Cowboy." Nessa started shaking her head with a wicked smile. "Shouldn't talk to your brother that way."

"Hey!" Sam started.

"Sam!" Dean called again. "Back off and sit down. Nessa shut your mouth."

"Make me." Nessa arched an eyebrow. Dean rolled his eyes then grabbed a roll of duct tape out of a nearby bag before walking right up to Nessa and stunning her with a punch to the gut before he slammed a piece of tape over her mouth. He then jumped back out of the way before she could kick his legs out from under her.

"Look what the hell is going on here?!" Shay screamed out holding onto Ambre protectively after seeing the way Nessa had been treated. Bobby was now moving to sit next to Sam rubbing his eyes as Ben tried to reposition himself on the bed.

"That's a good question." Sam said looking to Dean quickly. So far getting Dean to talk had been like pulling teeth and now it seemed like it might be the only way to get this group quieted down.

"Dean, I think everyone here is going to need a pretty good explanation, son." Bobby said softly.

Dean slowly nodded as he looked the group over. This was not the way he wanted to do this. "Alright…Ben, how you holding up?" Dean asked quickly before he could in good conscious continue.

"I'll live." Ben nodded to him. Dean nodded back. "Alright…this is the short and sweet."

"I thought you said you couldn't sum it up…" Sam started with a look of surprise.

"Sam." Dean shook his head and watched as Sam held up his hand defensively and backed off.

"Ambre is being hunted…Nessa, Sam, Bobby, and Ben have all been trying to keep her safe. Problem is Nessa doesn't like to work with people she doesn't know…and well she's a bitch." Dean started he was just shaking the dream over pure need at this point as everyone else was now in definite need of some sort of explanation.

Nessa immediately began to scream into the duck tape fighting her bonds. Dean ignored her though and went on. "See the fact is that Neither Nessa or I or the people Nessa works for understands why the bad guy…and that would be Alturoc wants Ambre. So we have to do what we can to lay low and keep Ambre safe. Now for the hard part …for you two." Dean motioned to Ambre and Shay.

Dean rubbed his hand across his face trying to still the emotions playing through him. God he'd given up everything for them to have a normal life and here he was shattering their reality in order to explain all this. To try and garner some sense of unity here. "I'd give anything." Dean's voice cracked under the strain. "Not to tell you this…"

All eyes stayed focused on Dean as Nessa started to calm her own movements so that she could hear him.

"Six months ago. Vanashi…" Dean looked to Nessa and swallowed. "You know the leader of the resistance…used to be big with your boss." He looked back to Shay and Ambre. "Vanashi, is a powerful bastard of a magus…or a magic user. I know this sounds crazy but just hear me out…cause crazy is all I have left to go on…Vanashi was desperate. He felt that Foci command – the people Nessa works for weren't doing their part to take out Alturoc who is a powerful demon lord making a vie for power her eon earth. So he decided to hunt down the remaining life force of the old gods…beings we don't hear about in religious texts because it was just that long ago. So he performs a ritual…and he released them…bound them to three vessels. The incantation destroyed the plane he was on…the plane that exploded a few days ago over Huntington."

Bobby cleared his throat. "You said six months ago…and now it was a few days ago?"

"I'm getting there…" Dean replied in a whisper. Bobby nodded and paced a few steps falling silent again. "So these gods went into three people…me…Sam…and Ambre. Alturoc knew about it, The Foci he knew about it, and we didn't have a clue. The Foci sent Nessa to guard us…and Alturoc sent armies to hunt us. And by the time we finally figured it out and by the time we finally found a way to access the power inside us…it was over. And Alturoc was just as screwed as we were, because the real enemy was one of the gods…and when…" Dean decided not to mention gender in order to keep the whole Ambre nearly killing them all out of it for now. "They made their play for power they killed over a third of earth's population in a matter of minutes. I've left a lot out…I'll grant you that…we ran and we fought…we fought along side The Foci and all his Magus and the guardians…we saw." And he looked to Nessa. "The resistance and the command reunited under Gabriel and everyone fought…it was war. And when everything got to the point where we had no other options but to fight and die I was given a choice. And I don't know if it helped…I don't know if it did any of us any good. But I took it. I chose to go back six months to keep Vanashi from releasing the gods…to level the playing field so we could take out Alturoc before he could make his power play. I just never realized that he would move this fast or that he would go after Ambre again…" Dean trailed off.

"This is insane…" Shay began. Dean scoffed choking on tears with a nod. Ambre though was rigidly silent, she had seen the shades at Ben's. She had seen the monsters that were coming. She had seen Nessa take three gunshots and keep moving…Ambre sank onto the bed out of Shay's arms trying to find someway to be able to take all that in. Because even with everything that she had seen it still sounded…crazy.

"Yeah well…I didn't say you'd all believe me…but everyone else in this room besides you two." Dean looked to Shay. "They know that this is all possible. Bobby here is a demon hunter…Ben, he's a magus in his own right and he just lost his entire coven to Alturoc. Sam and I we're hunters…ghosts, spirits, demons, we're not a picky as some…Nessa, she's a guardian. Has a huge white wing span that keeps hidden behind some veil so she doesn't freak people out." Dean looked to Nessa. "Care to enlighten the nonbeliever?"

She looked back breathing more evenly and narrowed her eyes down as if motioning to the duct tape. Dean moved on over and pulled it off fast. She opened her mouth wide trying to get over the pain the response elicited. "Who sent you back she changed the subject…you tell me that and I'll show 'em my wings."

Dean stepped back to the center of the room and looked to Sam apologetically. "Alturoc sent me back." He whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Wait...Alturoc the demon Lord...the evil bastard that's after Ambre?" Sam rose to his feet from the bed. "The bad guy..." Dean finally cut him off.

"Yeah Sam...thank you Mr. obvious." Dean arched his eye brows. "It's not as cut and dry as it seems." Dean sighed rubbing his hands together nervously before looking back to Nessa. "I think we had a deal."

She smiled brightly. "Oh come on...I can't give in yet...you haven't explained to poor Sammy."

"It's Sam." Sam glared back at her.

"Alright, Sugar." Nessa winked at him then looked back to Dean. "Sooo..." Nessa angled her head sideways slightly. "Alturoc...sent you back...you made a deal." She beamed. It was almost an I told you so. Some vindication for her perceptions that Dean was in some sort of contact with the villain of this story.

"I didn't make a deal...not really." Dean shook his head. "The sending benefitted us both."

"How?" Everyone in the room asked at once.

Dean looked to his hands before finally feeling his eyes drift to Ambre. He paused a moment to long and Sam looked between the two of them thoughtfully. Dean then met his eyes and Sam narrowed his own in wonder. How indeed?

Dean cleared his throat looking back to his hands. "Things were bad. The world was in ruin..." A hint of tears played into his voice as Dean's gaze seemed to drift far away and he finally had to close his eyes. "The foci and the resistance were marching on the armies of hell. They were getting cut down so fast...Ambre and Sam...you were trapped in the basement." Dean's voice hitched again as he suddenly realized that he couldn't force himself to mention the baby. "We couldn't hold them back. Alturoc wasn't in control any more...the god was...so he wanted to send me back...to fix the whole gods thing. Put himself back on top...said he wanted the world populated and not so frozen. All I had to do was agree to go back. I'd be the only one that remembered...and he of course lied that he wouldn't go back himself. That he wouldn't be prepared for me." Dean met Sam's eyes as the tears fell across his cheeks.

"I couldn't pass it up."

Sam slowly nodded. There was so much that Dean wasn't saying...and he knew it. But he would get him to talk, eventually.

"Oh how noble." Nessa smiled wickedly.

"Shut up." Ambre suddenly said.

Everyone looked in her direction in shock.

"Excuse me?" Nessa asked all at once.

"You heard me." Ambre pushed herself out of Shay's protective arms. "He's been through hell...real or imagined or a little of both...anyone can see that just by looking. So cut him a break." Ambre glared at Nessa.

Nessa smiled softly with a slight nod. "I guess I did make a deal, Cowboy." She finally replied. "Alright...he's probably telling the truth or some semblance of it...and even if he's lying...I promised...so for those of you not acclimated to the changing weather...." Nessa's smile grew as she tucked her chin slowly downward closing her eyes.

Ambre narrowed her eyes as she watched Nessa and then took a step back instinctively as Nessa's wings appeared in a shimmer unfurling in a glorious span. Nessa looked back up to Dean. "I held up my end."

"Holy Mary..." Shay sat down on the edge of a bed his voice trailing off as Ben and Bobby and Sam and Ambre and all watched Nessa wiggle her wings up and down as if she was stretching.

"Yeah...I'm still not letting you go." Dean whispered completely unphased by the display.

"Oh come on." Nessa growled.

"Just sit down." Dean breathed as he nearly dropped to a knee his legs sinking out from under him suddenly. Bobby was the one that moved forward to catch him. Sam tried to get there, but he wasn't fast enough. Ambre was still starring at Nessa...now torn between the man that she was clearly concerned about and the white wings that slowly disappeared.

Ambre felt like the display of wings only confirmed the multitude of others other worldly things that she had seen tonight and affirmed that Dean's story could be true. She sank down on the bed beside Shay though, some what in shock...until Bobby helped Dean back to his bed.

"Dean, you just got out of the hospital." Sam was saying as he followed them over. "And you weren't even supposed to be out...you can't keep going like this."

Sam didn't know what to think as his mind was racing. Dean seemed pretty convinced...and after Nessa unfurled her wings he was convinced that Dean was telling the truth...what scared him was what Dean was leaving out. How hard he was fighting...how fast and strong he was coming on...like he was scared to death of what lay ahead.

"Hospital?" Bobby asked looking from Sam to Dean. "Dammit, Dean."

Dean looked up at the two of them with a pained smile as the perspiration line his brow. "Yeah, well I didn't have time to recover and save the world too."

"He's burning up." Sam whispered pulling his hand away from Dean's forehead with a cautiously concerned glance mixed with a hint of frustration that his brother couldn't fill him in a little faster instead of trying to take on this Alturoc guy by himself. Sam could tell that Dean was really letting himself have it over who he'd made this deal with as well so he wasn't about to bring it up just yet. Sam knew Dean had a very compelling reason...and it was more then what eh was telling them.

Sam glanced at Ambre who was shaking herself out of the shock long enough to make it over to Dean and start barking out orders about the medical kit and some fever reducers. Dean fell silent on the bed as the room seemed to fall into some awkward sort of fumble for direction. He stared at the ceiling. Blinked...long and hard...as his vision danced in and out against the potion and the dream and the fever...

He felt the fuzzy voices coming and going in his ears. Felt Ambre's skin against his pushing the pills against his lips. Dean slammed his eyes shut and felt the tremble going through his body from the contact. This was wrong...God. He felt Sam pull his head into his hands forcing him up high enough to get some water down his throat so he could swallow the medicine.

Dean lay there...in his fleeting world...shrouded with heat and bodily contact from Sam and Ambre as they tried to help get him under the blankets...get more liquid into him. Voices were coming and going with the movement.

"I'm going to get some ice..." Bobby almost whispered.

"This is real...this is real." Shay was mumbling to himself.

"Hey man it's hard for everyone at first." Ben was saying to Shay even in his own weakened state.

"I don't think it's that hard." Nessa cooed sliding back down the wall sullenly. "I mean it's all real...monsters...creatures of the night...secret organizations...bad evil demons...ghosts...What's hard about that?" Nessa wrinkled her nose.

Dean stiffened suddenly hearing the door open and then the long pause before it was supposed to close...should have closed...Dean opened his eyes seeing Ambre still hovering above him as she pulled the blanket up around his chin. Dean shook his gaze from her and looked to the door feeling his heart plummeting into his stomach. Bobby was standing there...just standing there...looking. "God..." Dean breathed.

The rattle chains sounded in the distance. "Bobby!" Dean called out suddenly. Bobby was white as a sheet hand trembling on the door. "Bobby!" Dean suddenly shoved himself upward as Sam and Ambre looked to the door as well.

Bobby turned back toward Dean. "Close the damn door!" Dean screamed and he was on his feet stumbling toward it just as a chain wrapped around Bobby's middle and yanked him through the door.

"Bobby!" Sam and Dean screamed in unison both of them running for the door. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nessa pulled her hand taught against the cuffs drawing them away from the bars as the sound of metal against metal rattled so loud beyond the room that the reverberations transferred from the shivering pane of glass straight down the bars and into her bones. In a moment all her sarcasm, misplaced mirth, and sinister banter was replaced with a serious and dangerous visage. "Cowboy!" She screamed out before he and Sam even got a look into the parking lot.

She didn't need to look into the parking lot to know what lie there. And as far as their friend went...as far as Nessa was concerned he was gone. Besides she only had one charge today. Nessa held out her wrist pulling the cuff as far away from the bar as possible. "Cowboy! You need me!"She watched as he and Sam froze in the doorway looking out into pure hell before Dean cursed out loud and slammed the door shut. Without missing a beat Dean pulled the gun from the waist band at the back of his pants and aimed at Nessa. She simply stood there unflinching though as he fired two shots breaking her cuffs free.

"Sam stay with Ambre." Dean breathed turning back the way he'd some as he grabbed four more clips before wrenching the door open again. "We're going after Bobby." He said motioning with a nod of his head to Nessa who was smiling now as she looked out the window.

"Dean, you've been beating the shit out of each other for as long as you've known each other...you're going to trust her to walk out there with you... into that?!" Sam asked near enraged and in worry for his brother's health.

"Yeah I know...weird relationship." Dean half smirked. " Don't worry she'll either kill me or save me...We're good." Dean nodded quickly. Dean grabbed Sam's pistol from his waist band and tossed it to Nessa. Who immediately checked the gun inside and out before moving to his side at the door. "I mean it though you keep her safe." Dean met Sam's eyes referring to Ambre before he stepped through the door with Nessa who simply blew Sam a kiss with the reassuring whisper. "Don't worry Sugar, he's in good hands."

Sam watched in exasperation as Dean slammed the door shut behind him. Sam turned a circle in the room and threw his hands up in the air. "Alright...everyone stay away from the windows and doors." God he hoped Dean knew what he was doing, because right now even with all the explaining and the insanity things were slipping into some surreal headlong nightmare that had no real explanations save 'I'll tell you later' Sam broke his own decree a moment later as he looked out the window trying to spot Bobby in the mass of chains. He didn't find him and sighed hoping that there was a chance in hell against numbers like that.

"Do you even have a plan worth listening to?"

They stood side by side on the side walk that ran along side the building under the covered walkway of the second story walkway. Dean didn't look at her for his eyes were combing over the torrents of chains and bodies that seemed to move as one seething mass as he looked for any sign of Bobby. "Yeah." he whispered watching her preparing for battle. It was funny the things he'd missed the first time around having been in shock near the entire time, but Nessa had a way of preparing that made real men worry about their masculinity. She didn't lose any charisma doing it though. She was still all female - in a Xena warrior princess sort of way. It wasn't any one thing just the look of satisfaction that going into a battle brought, or the way she seemed to smile so dangerously at the enemy - the total lack of fear.

"I want you to throw me into the middle, about there." Dean motioned to the spot he was talking about where he could see Bobby's right leg sticking up.

Nessa's eyebrow arched as she followed his line of site. "You know he's dead already, right?"

"Will be if we keep standing here yappin' about it. You goin' to toss me or not?" Dean cocked his gun and held his second clip in his off hand.

"Sure thing." She shook her head. "You shooting you're way out from the middle?"

Dean nodded sticking the second clip in his mouth as he palmed the third one into his hand. Nessa simple shook her head again.

"Was nice knowing you Cowboy." Nessa smiled.

Dean smirked around the clip in his mouth as if to say in some insane show of courage. 'I'll see you soon' as he felt her wrap one arm over his shoulder and the other between his legs and with one hoist had him sailing through mid air. Nessa then crouched and took a jump to flight after him.

Dean aimed as he sailed through the air and then began his descent into the madness. The chain devils sent a waves of chains up after him and before he could fire off the first round he was wrenched downward his body tangled in the barbed chains. Dean screamed before a chain wrapped around his face knocking the clip from his mouth. He managed to meet Nessa's eyes before his body was sucked downward into the chains.

Nessa cursed under her breath as her faith in Cowboy waned. He had been lucky until now...and she hadn't counted on his luck running out at this moment. She actually felt a pang of fear for this man's safety which whole heartedly surprised her as she open fired into the demonic foot soldiers. A ground shaking growl went up from the seething mass, breaking plaster as the hotel shook in it's wake as sirens sounded in the distance.

Nessa thinned out the back of their lines and landed behind them causing a few to turn toward her in shock. As the first chain shot out for attack she dodged the coil and then caught it as it began to retreat. Nessa jerked slightly forward from the backlash but still held steady to the devil that had tried to wrap a chain around her. She chuckled slightly before she yanked him out of the group slinging the two to either side of him stumbling from the way they were all locked together. Before he ever got to her Nessa had shot so many holes in him that all he could do was slip to the ground and return to hell before her.

She released the chain and walked into the back lines firing indiscriminately at the devils. She had to be getting close to Cowboy and his friend. Nessa just prayed that they were alright - and she wasn't the praying type. She was nearing the middle when the first shot rang out. Nessa instinctively took a step back before firing at another devil near her yet trying to divide her attention on the section the shot had come from. The first shot was followed by another and another in rapid succession. She narrowed her eyes as she suddenly saw Dean and Bobby pop up from a hole they had cleared in the center standing back to back as they swept through the devils with shot after shot turning in a circle.

Nessa laughed out as she shook her head and kept at her end. Maybe his luck hadn't run out? She shrugged.

Dean really didn't need the new cuts and jagged cuts that now covered his body from the barbs...but damn Bobby looked a lot worse then him now and they were both running on pure adrenaline. "Bobby." Dean nodded to the left seeing a chain flying from the left.

"Got it." Bobby felt the chain wrap around his arm a second before he shot the damn thing off and then wrapped it further up his arm using their own weapon against them.

Nessa thinned out the back further as the first police car pulled into the lot and slammed to a stop. Nessa hated the police...they always made everything so complicated. To any one with any sense this situation was clearly cut and dry. There was about three dozen denizens of hell in the hotel parking lot. Obviously as denizens of hell these bastards wanted to cause panic and mayhem preferably with as a high a body count as they could get and possibly if they were working for someone high enough up there pick themself up a human in the interim. So Nessa's job was not to arrest them - interrogate them and perhaps slap them in the wrist because there was nothing to pin on them because all the evidence had miraculously disappeared.

Nope she was here to kill them. Police be damned today.

On another note she did value the police as protectors of the public as far as human hostilities went...just not the supernatural ones...as far as she was concerned they had just walked into the wrong play ground. This was one of those break protocol kinda days. Nessa smiled as she took flight and open fired downward trying to clean a path for Cowboy and Bobby.

"You know I'm wanted for murder!" Dean called to Bobby as the sirens and blue lights lit up the parking lot and the two continued to fight their way out of the continuously thinning herd.

"Saw it on the news!" Bobby called back with a nod before he fired again. "Won't much matter if we don't live through this." Bobby reasoned out.

"True." Dean said as he cocked his head to the side and put a bullet in another devils head. It took more to bring the beast down and he quickly moved onto the next one. Nessa suddenly seemed to realize that they weren't going to break through the masses and flew downward for once in her life cursing that she was going to have to let the humans deal with the rest of threat. She burst down into the middle and grabbed Dean and Bobby out of the mess flying upward.

"Cowboy get your cell out and call Sugar!...Tell him to get Ambre and the others and to drive them to Washington. I don't care what you know, We have to get some help on this." Nessa screamed over the rushing air around them as they flew ever upward. Dean fought the urge to pass out from the change in air pressure as he pried his cell from his pocket and made the call.

Dean passed into oblivion soon after...and the nights and days intermingled indiscriminately for days to come as wounds old and new began to heal. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sam wrapped his hands around the back of his head as he rose to his feet and paced a few feet around the small room. God, he was restless. He needed something to take his mind off it. The things that didn't make sense right now. He needed...information...help...something to help him hold the fractured picture together in his head.

Sam turned back around slowly letting out a long sigh as he looked over Dean's form stretched out on the bed. It had been three days and Sam felt like he was back at square one - at the hospital trying to figure out - to rethink life as he knew it. Trying to piece together the bits of the story that Dean had fed him.

So much had happened...so much even after they had gotten to Washington and then to the Foci command building to meet Nessa and Dean and Bobby. There was a whole world here that Sam never knew existed and it would have been astounding to delve into had Sam been able to think about anything aside from his brothers health.

The healers had already been to see Bobby and Ben and both were right as rain now. Dean though...he was a whole other story. They had near passed out when they'd try to lay hands on him and then were confused that they could do nothing for him. Dean had languished in a restless fever induced sleep and his wounds dressed and redressed...antibiotics pumped through his system and pain killers...and he hadn't woken up even once.

Sam sat back down in his chair beside Dean's bed and then quickly got back to his feet. He couldn't sit still. "Going for some breakfast - you want anything?" Bobby stopped in the doorway and paid Dean a long glance before turning his gaze on Sam. "He doing any better?"

"No change." Sam replied rubbing at his eyes. "I'll take a coffee." Sam finally whispered out.

"You'll take a plate of food and a coffee and some sleep later." Bobby corrected him. "And I'm not taking no for an answer on that."

"Bobby..."

"Sam, you haven't slept in days." Bobby replied easily. "And I doubt you've left this room either...but food is not optional."

"Fine." Sam nodded. A moment later he let out another breath and met Bobby's eyes. "Thanks, Bobby." Bobby nodded slowly and let his gaze settle on Dean again. "He's been talking in his sleep again."

"Anything that makes sense?" Bobby shifted his stance in the doorway as a group of robed figures skirted past him.

"Not really...sometimes it almost does." Sam sank back into the chair again.

"I'll be back in a bit with you're food and coffee." Bobby gave him a sad smile. "Why don't you close your eyes for a bit."  
"I can't." Sam leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees pulling his head up to look to Bobby. "He might wake up."

Bobby nodded again and then slapped the doorframe with his hand. "I'll be back soon."

Sam sighed as he sank backwards in the chair and watched Dean's chest rise and fall as his brother shifted again. He'd almost thought he was waking had he not been watching Dean turn over in the bed repeatedly. Dean turned all the way over onto his stomach and Sam moved as he accidently knocked the blanket off his upper body as his arm slid from the bed and swung against the floor his fingers barely grazing the wooden surface.

Dean was shirtless really only in his boxers as they had been trying to get his temperature down. He was wrapped up with so much bandaging, to hold him together and his left arm was broken in two places. Sam reached over and began to pull the blankets back into place around Dean.

He had just gotten them all sorted out when Dean jumped and managed to spin all the way under the covers and still got a hold of Sam by the throat with his good hand. Sam went still instantly trying to still the impulse to fight back. It took Dean a few seconds to realize that he had his brother by the throat and he quickly released him falling back to the bed winded. "Sorry." Dean gasped out.

"Hell of a good morning." Sam chuckled lightly.

"How long..." Dean started as he tried to catch his breath. Sam narrowed his eyes as Dean started tossing the covers back looking for his clothes as if he were going to go somewhere.

"How long what?" Sam pressed a hand on Dean's chest and shoved him back into the bed. He wasn't about to let Dean get up right now...not this time. Dean looked a bit wide eyed as he swatted the hand off his chest but fell back winded. "How long have you been asleep? - Four days. How long have you been dodging my questions? - Since you came back from the future. How long have I been worried to hell and back?"

"Sam..."

"No Dean...you're laying your ass in that bed and you're not getting up until they doctors here say you can...and you're going to rest and we're going to have a long talk when you feel better so that you quit trying to take on the whole goddamn world by yourself." Sam cut him off and then as Dean stared at him mouth gapping open Sam readjusted the blankets again.

Sam sank back into his chair and let his head fall into his hands the two of them shrouded in a long moment of silence before he pushed himself back and looked to his brother fighting off tears of relief and frustration. "I'm glad you're awake."

Dean looked Sam in the eye thoughtfully still looking shaken and startled from the response his little brother had given him. "I didn't notice." He whispered.

"Don't..." Sam said softly with a shake of his head.

"Don't what, Sam?" Dean replied looking even more confused.

"Sarcasm and tossing it off with humor is the last thing I want to hear right now." Sam retorted.

"Might need to get ready for disappointment." Dean smirked a bit as he finally felt the chill to the air and wrapped the blanket around him tighter. "Wanna give me the run down here?" Dean motioned around the room knowing immediately where they were.

"I'll give you the run down after you tell me the whole story...without leaving anything out." Sam got up and walked to the door shutting it and turning the lock into place. He turned slowly folding his arms across his chest as he looked to Dean for some answers.

"Man give a guy a break I just woke up." Dean chuckled nervously.

"Dean, come on..."

"Ok, ok, ok...but look sit down. Alright? Seriously you can't stand up for the whole thing." Dean finally replied. Sam nodded and made his way back over. Dean looked to the door feeling trapped. It was his brother after all and while it should have been easy to tell him this...it wasn't. Dean closed his eyes and wiped at his face settling back against the pillow. "You know a lot of it. We picked Ambre up - we all had gods inside us. We all had powers that we didn't know how to use." Dean started softly. The first night though, we went to get some food...stopped in the middle of the road when this girl comes screaming out of her house with a whole bunch of bikers running behind her. She was near beat to death. They killed her boyfriend. She watched him die. We got her to the hospital after a pretty tense chase."

"Ambre." Sam asked softly and he watched the play of emotions that crossed Dean's face as he nodded. "So then Shay..."

"Was dead." Dean confirmed. Sam nodded feeling his heart sinking. "She had to go in for some pretty heavy surgery and we were at the hospital...waiting. You could feel the bad guys coming a mile away. They made their second attempt there. And stabbed you. I went to check on Ambre while you were in recovery and I found out what my abilities would let me do. I healed her. We went to get you and I healed you and she figured out that she could start fires and we had to run before we could even process that - I mean these guys were everywhere. They were hitting hard and fast."

"This still the first night?" Sam asked in awe. Dean nodded again.

"We got attacked trying to leave the parking lot. You were hurt bad again and by then I'd found out that I could suck life out as well as give it back and I almost killed you trying to heal you. We met up with Nessa soon after as she finally decided to let us know that she was on our side and led us to a place where we could get you all healed up. It was this Amish farmstead that was some cover for the foci."  
"Amish..." Sam asked in confusion.

"It gets better...they had this whole underground compound. Nessa was having weapons flippin' heliported in. I finally was able to heal you after one of the healers killed himself trying to do it. I actually brought you back to life." Dean met his brothers eyes and looked away quickly licking at his lips as his voice broke off tearily.

Sam moved to get Dean a glass of water and handed it back to him as the silence left them both trying to deal with the story so far. Dean took a long drink and placed the glass on the table. "I passed out...I guess I wasn't used to resurrecting people. And this army marched on the place...those thing in the parking lot at the hotel...a whole army of them. By the time I woke up Nessa had tried to make an escape and she...left Ambre." Dean swallowed hard. "You have to understand she thought she was dead...we all did. Ambre had been wrenched back into the midst of the Chain devils and was sporting a huge amount of white phosphorus grenades when her power activated - you know - fire. Blew a crater in the earth...this huge..." Dean broke off again. "I told Ness we were going back - to see. To make sure. And we found her. It near broke her. She started having nightmares. I mean..." Dean blinked back the tears God he wasn't going to give it away. Not now. "She had nightmares." He repeated in a whisper.

"And what happened then?" Sam whispered right on back.

"She didn't want to sleep alone." Dean looked to his hands folded out across the blankets now.

Silence followed for a long time.

"You slept with her." Sam finally found his voice and the courage to say it.

Dean didn't say a word but he slowly began to nod.

"And?" Sam needed him to keep going. This was a lot of what Dean left out, but Sam knew there was so much left that he wasn't saying.

"And nothing." Dean sniffed back the tears his walls coming back up. "Sammy, some things I have to get to on my own and now isn't the rest of the story kind of time."

"Like hell it's not." Sam replied defiantly. "Dean you can't keep dancing around this...come on...please..."

"She got pregnant." Dean wasn't even looking at him now...wasn't about to. "And I had to kill her and bring her back so that she didn't kill all of us." Dean said knowing that there was so much explaining that he had to do to make that make sense. "And then one of the gods sped up the delivery and I swear by the time I was wrenched up to that roof top I was a father...and I sacrificed all of you...I..."

Sam was so quiet as Dean's tears finally got the better of him. It was a good twenty minutes before Sam broached the silence. "You said we were all going to die...that's why you made the deal. You never said..."

"You think that's the worst of it." Dean scoffed. "You can't just excuse away me letting my little girl fade into nonexsistence, alright. Nessa went to hell taking down the yellow eyed demon and by God she clawed her way back out with Dad. Ok..." Dean wasn't even sure that would cinch it up for Sam. "They were dead by the time I made the deal. Things were moving so fast I didn't even get a chance to really talk to him."

"Dad was there?" Sam breathed as he wiped a hand across his face. Good God, Dean was describing a whole life time of pain that no one understood. Sam couldn't even imagine half of what his brother was talking about.

"Yeah...Til some chain devil cut into him on the front lines...You can't possibly understand all of this. I mean I can tell you about it all day long...but I mean."

"I get it Dean...death destruction pain loss...all on some insane repeat cycle." Sam whispered. Dean nodded solemnly.

"I hoped her life would be easier this way...all of ours...I was wrong." Dean whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"_You weren't wrong...you just took a risk...none of this is your fault."_

Dean shifted in the bed and moved Sam's arms from his chest. His little brother must have been tired. Dean hadn't even woken when Sam had crawled into the large bed with him...and he really doubted that Sam had put his arm around him - nah he wasn't that sappy - was he - hugging him in his sleep? Nah. Must have just shifted in his sleep. Dean shook his head with a swallow. Sam wasn't going to leave his side apparently.

"_I was wrong...you have no idea how wrong."_

Dean clenched his eyes closed and stilled the flood of tears that threatened to take him as he wiped the rest from his face. He'd been crying in his sleep and the rest of the conversation was still filtering through his brain.

"_I know you like to think that the world revolves around you and what you're capable of, but from everything you've said, It was a wrong place wrong time sort of thing." _

Dean pulled the covers back and felt a shiver race down his spine from the fever still coursing through his body. As he looked down his bare chest he winced further at the gauze and tape...the stitches and staples peaking out of from under the white dressings...the weeping wounds. It was no wonder his body was groaning in agony as he moved stiff muscles and bruised limbs. His left arm felt awkward as it was heavy with the hard cast that went all the way around his hand to near his elbow leaving only his fingers and thumb exposed.

"Showering's going to be a bitch." Dean whispered with a scoff as he looked to Sam making sure he didn't wake him. Sam didn't even stir though.

"_Come on I'm not that proud "_

"No, no you're not proud at all...I'm just saying you can't possibly think that everything is your fault here Some guy you didn't even know started all this. You couldn't have stopped it...even though you tried. Dean, you did everything that you could...and it's alright to feel - and it's alright to mourn...and dammit you know you could let someone shoulder it with you every now and then...so quit being so thick headed and thinking that you can fix all of this yourself." 

Dean got to his feet and hissed in a breath on the first step. God he hurt all over. The trip to the bathroom and back seemed to take an eternity of pain and by the time he was back in the main room, Sam had rolled over but was still sound asleep. Dean smirked - pain still lining his eyes in a near squint as he took in an untouched plate of food and some coffee sitting on the table with a note beside it.

Dean peered at the note and smiled as he shook his head again. "Bobby." he whispered.

Sam had told him that everyone was alright, eventually, after they had calmed down. Alturoc hadn't made another move yet. Dean was glad for that at least. He didn't think he could take any more abuse at the moment. Dean slipped into a T-shirt and some jeans - another long arduous process that left him near thinking of just going back to bed. Dean sighed as he took the cup of coffee and made his way out the door at a limp, hobbling slowly. He noticed that there were several rows of robed figures moving at a slow pace as if waiting in line headed down the corridors and wondered what was up. Dean scooted into line and began to follow the masses as he sipped on the coffee and held his broken arm protectively to his body.

Everyone was so quiet...reverent almost. They were moving with their hoods pulled over their heads - heads bent toward the floor - arms held in front of them and clasped together so that the longs sleeves hooked together and hid their arms altogether. "Where we goin'?" Dean whispered softly to the guy in front of him. The guy's head angled slightly to the right and back but he didn't reply...nor did he seem happy about the interruption to whatever it was that was going on here. "Ooook." Dean pursed his lips together and semi shrugged with a shake of his head to the right. He kept on following until they reached a large meeting chamber with what looked like stadium seating in a full circle around the room.

There were a tone of people already there, but everyone was eerily silent. Dean could tell the division in factions by looking. The guardians were at the back near the top looking like a bunch of misfit rejects from a biker bar trying to fit in at a school assembly. More towards the front in the best seat were the magus and the few healers sat in their own quiet group off to themselves.

"Huh." Dean unconsciously let the syllable leave his lips and then smiled awkwardly as the whole of the rooms attention turned to him. "Sorry - woops...getting quiet now." He whispered getting even more attention. He arched both eyebrows and listened to a small chuckle from high above. Dean looked to the Guardians - to where the chuckle had come from and smiled as his eyes settled on Nessa. She gave a small wave and put a finger over her mouth to tell him to be quiet. He nodded and made his way up into the stands with the rest of the magus.

He was about to sit down when one of them quickly gave him a light shove and pointed him to a row of chairs that were empty and solitary. Dean glared at the guy before he sank into the seat next to him anyway. "No offense - not moving any further then I have to." Dean whispered to him as he held up his broken arm. "Get over it." Dean was even more surprised at the glare he received from the guy. He supposed you didn't get the royal treatment if you weren't carrying a God.

Everyone's attention was drawn to a podium situated in the center of the circle as the last Magus entered the room and took a stand there. The guy looked vaguely familiar. He didn't get much of Dean's attention though as they led a man bound in shackles and sporting some nasty bruises.  
The prisoner was only wearing some dingy white gown that resembled a burlap sack with a place for a head and the arms cut out - that only went to the knees.

"What the..." Dean started but got quiet instantly as he heard the rustle in the back of the group of guardians. 'Gabriel?' Dean thought to himself. God no...he forgot how divided the foci and the rebel factions were. But to arrest one of the rebels? Dean sighed in exasperation.

"This trial was called by the Foci general assembly to assess wether or not Gabriel is guilty of treason against the high command." The figure at the podium spoke up loudly.

"Oh this is bullshit." Dean shook his head as his whisper was lost in the shifting of the crowd. The rustling died down again and the figure looked over a list that he was about to read to the group. Gabriel stood silently with two figures on either side of him. Dean leaned back with a sigh and took another drink of his coffee.

"Gabriel, You are charged with three counts of treason. Including aiding in efforts to steal sacred manuscripts with Vanashi, performing magic without a license and in a way that compromised the integrity of the command organization, and finally accosting a guardian under this command." The man looked to Gabriel and took a breath before continuing. "How do you plead to these charges?"

"I'd take a rain check on that, but something tells me you want a yes or no." Gabriel spoke up with a glimmer of a growl just under his smile. He looked to the guardians lining the top and kept right on talking defiant of his predicament as a certain passion took him over. "I plead guilty, though you have no right to regulate the sacred duty of guardians and magus charged to uphold the rights of the innocent!" Gabriel called out getting an immediate response from the magus who started calling out for action.

One of the guards grabbed Gabriel roughly as the man behind the podium started trying to ring in a sentence now.

"Then under the authority of the Foci..." Gabriel cut the bastard off.

"The Foci has no right to judge me...none of you do! We're all responsible for our own actions and you cannot tell me that this is the way things were meant to be! All of you watch! This is injustice!"

"I sentence you to death by bleeding." the man continued on trying to out scream Gabriel.

"I die free then!" Gabriel screamed back. "And more will desert you son of a bitch. You know I was only protecting your own interests...this world...these innocents...this is bullshit!"

"Remove the prisoner!"

"He's right!" Dean suddenly screamed out garnering the rest of the groups attention. "This is bullshit!" Dean rose to his feet as the man of authority turned to look at him in shock.

"Insolence!" One of the magus cried out directly before the crowd broke out into an uproar.

"Hey! He's innocent...and you bastards need to start working together with the rebellion if you ever hope to defeat what's coming!" Dean screamed out at a complete loss for the stupidity of the group. This was just whole heartedly the dumbest thing he'd seen. What did it take a world wide disaster to get these people to make up and quit killing each other for rule infractions?

"Sympathizer!"

"Blasphemy!"

"Seize him!" The man behind the podium screamed out pointing to Dean. "You dare to speak against an official Justicar of the command...you will serve in the same sentence as Gabriel for treasonous acts against the command!...My blood is my bond! This trial is over! Clear the Court!"

Dean felt the men on both sides go to grab him and instantly started fighting. Even in his current condition he took down ten magus before they overpowered his already weakened body through sheer numbers. By then he had put up such a fight that he was barely holding to consciousness.

ooooooooooooo

Sam woke with a start and instantly felt the emptiness beside him. "Dean?!" Sam looked around the room frantically and found only his plate of food long sense cold and a note from Bobby. Sam tossed the covers back and got to his feet trying to shake the sleep from his body as he sluggishly pushed through the fog in his brain. He shoved his way out the door and made his way down the empty corridors toward the courtyard where Bobby and Ben seemed to spend the majority of their time.

They had been granted limited access to a few places and this was one of them. Sure enough Bobby and Ben sat at a table in the center of the lavish garden playing chess with a couple of beers between the two of them. "Bobby, have you seen Dean?" Sam called as he rushed the table in a panic.

Bobby and Ben both looked to him their smiles slowly fading. "He was asleep last I looked...Why? Did he wake?" Sam nodded.

"He woke up for about half an hour then passed back out. When I woke up he wasn't in the room." Sam couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Maybe it was the dream...it hadn't made any sense and wasn't quite like a vision - but still. It had him more then unnerved. There had been so much blood...like a fountain of it...and so many people on the ground...dying. "Something's wrong." Sam could finally feel the vision wavering through his head and flinched.

"Sam, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Ben had been saying until he notice the pallor of the boy and Sam gasped out grabbing a hold of the side of the concrete picnic table for support. Bobby was up with an arm around him in an instant - guiding him onto one of the benches.

"Sam, what is it? What do you see?" Bobby's voice faded in his ears as Sam watched a pale Dean laying sprawled out on a floor his wrists bound to some sort posts set into the circle that he occupied on the stone floor. Two deep gashes were set into his forearms - the cast removed - and his blood was running freely into small grooves in the floor completing some intricate pattern there.

Sam jerked out of the vision. "Dean, we have to find him...something's wrong."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dean slumped against the wall as the last manacle was clinked into place adhering him to the cold stone at his back tightly. It was so tight in fact that he had to straighten his slump almost instantly to keep the sag of his body from cutting off his airway. The position of his arms outspread bore the brunt of the weight of his body and every time he sank too low and stayed there very long his breathing became shallower. He was just having trouble keeping his bound feet under him and the pain that was wrought on his broken arm under the strain of his weight on it was beginning to threaten his ability to keep his eyes open. He was so winded that he scarcely managed to get out the well intentioned. "Bite me." that passed his lips at a pant.

Gabriel occupied a stretch of wall nearby in the same cell and now looked to Dean as the guards left. "So you have a death wish?" Gabriel asked disgusted that a human would be the only one to stand up for the rebellion...though he had a feeling that in his own way it wasn't the rebellion that this man was standing up for.

"Not really...it just looks that way." Dean replied quickly with his own pain laced smile. "I'm Dean by the way."

"Gabriel." Gabriel nodded. "Are you some peace loving freak or just nuts, human?" Gabriel sneered.

"Uh - I've been called both." Dean sighed as he pushed up on his feet again. "Though I prefer hunter. Overprotective brother...I've been called a few other things - but I don't think they would help me out much here." Dean smirked. " Oddly enough I know a little bit about you and this just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"You're an imbecile." Gabriel shook his head in disgust.

"Hey - I just stood up for you in there. You could be a little bit nicer about it...at least quit with the name calling." Dean replied, hurt that this man was so rude.

"Why did you really do it?" Gabriel dropped some of the pride from his voice tiredly.

"There's this guy - saved my life...wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try the same for him." Dean whispered out after a moment of thoughtful silence.

Gabriel cut his eyes at Dean in confusion. "You make no sense. I hope that this sacrifice makes you're friend happy."

"Probably wouldn't." Dean laughed out a small laugh then thought better of the action as it caused him a world of hurt. "But it's not about what he thinks...it's more like some sick moral obligation."

"So why me and not your friend." Gabriel still wasn't clear on the reasoning here.

"You are the friend...in some other life...makes no sense I know, but still. I respect you, man. Couldn't just sit there and watch them kill you." Dean met his eyes and watched as more confusion yet a measure of respect wavered through Gabriel's features.

"You're crazy." He laughed out finally turning away.

Dean chuckled to himself beginning to question the decision to stand up for the guardian himself. "You may be right...you may be right." Dean nodded slowly still laughing slightly disturbed that he may have completely screwed up this time. God he hoped Sam was alright...that Ambre wasn't in danger...that someone got him the hell out of this.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Damn him.

God Damn him.

What the hell was he thinking?

Did he even think?

Nessa kept her head down as she skirted the robed figures in the corridors, making her way at a steady pace toward the living quarters. The courtyards had been empty...one lone table still set for chess and littered with beer bottles. The cafeteria yielded nothing but Ambre and Shay who were taking comfort in each other over this shocking revelation. Nessa so wasn't into trying to keep up with everyone - at least not to the extent that she normally would. Ambre may have been her charge, but she had round the clock guardian's taking shifts now and that gave Nessa a bit of a break.

Damn that no good son of a ....

Nessa felt a hitch in her chest.

Damn her own feelings.

She never got emotionally involved with humans - NEVER! What was wrong with her? She felt familiar anger settling in like an old friend as she paused outside Cowboys room and then without knocking shoved the door open. The hunters sitting round the table there jumped at the intrusion and looked to her in shock. "Hey, Sugar." Nessa nodded with a seriousness that sent chill through the room. "You're brother's in a spot of trouble." Nessa didn't wait for the questions...she didn't have time for them. Executions here were carried out swiftly.

As expected Sugar was running after her after only a few steps. "Where is he? They have us confined to our room."

"Yeah well stick with me...they may give you a pass." Nessa replied quietly as Sam followed her long strides easily and stuck by her side while Bobby and Ben hurried to catch up with them. Nessa's voice dropped. "I am going to get in so much trouble for this."

"Is Dean alright?" Sam got out when she didn't answer his question. Nessa cut him a 'hell no' look that got Sam swallowing the knot in his throat as he fell silent and followed her as his heart began to race to match their hurried pace. Bobby and Ben picked up the not alright to ask questions vibe and stayed quiet as they took twists and turns.

Sam had thought the whole underground compound was mostly the same...narrow earthen brick corridors with no life or color in them...scarce decoration and meager accommodations. The whole place was very monastery like...or what Sam would image one to be like. But the scenery was changing...the earthen bricks were shading to black as they continued onward. Sam felt a chill sweep over him. Darkness was settling in - the walls seemed to narrow further until at last the end of the corridor came into view - yielding one wooden door set against the black bricks. The door was old...and that chill seemed to work it's way into Sam's veins as he looked at the knotted wood there.

"Look...I can't fix this." Nessa said quietly as she approached the door - even her nerve shaken at the sight of it. There was a quiver to her whisper of her voice. "But I thought you should have a chance to say goodbye."

"Say goodbye?!" Sam and Bobby got out at the same time. Nessa closed her eyes a moment and sniffed back her emotions as her eyes went fearless again her resolve renewed and she nodded before opening the door.

The spiraled stairwell was incased in the same black bricks with a few torches set enough to dimly light the way down. "He's being executed for treason."

"He's what?! He left the room for like half an hour - how the hell did he commit treason? And I mean what kind of treason - against who?" Sam couldn't believe this. Could not believe this. This was unreal. How in the world.? They were alone now - the four of them - making their way down the stairway at an even quicker pace as the fear from some taint again this place began to settle in.

"He found his way into a trial set against one of the high ranking guardians in the rebellion. He couldn't keep his mouth shut...called out against a Justicar...and well that was enough to get him up on the treason wrap...this is a whole new world down here...human rules and regulations do not apply and what he did may not sound bad to you - but it's forbidden here." She explained as they walked.

"Yeah but there was no way he could have known." Bobby said in exasperation.

"Doesn't matter." Nessa called back matching his tone. "He broke law...and the Justicar's word is final! I already told you I can't fix this. I've tried!"

"What are they going to do to him?!" Sam was scared to death...his brain rambling in circles trying to think of a way to argue Dean's way out of this.

"Bleed him." Nessa met Sam's eyes as they paused a moment. "They'll put him and Gabriel in a magical circle and draw the energy from their blood to funnel their essence to the weave. No heaven or hell...it's an end to a soul..." Nessa's almost looked away...she almost broke the eye contact as the hitch in her chest tightened and she had to swallow to be able to breath again. She was so not going to tear up - damn it.

"That's my vision...Son of a bitch!" Sam slammed his hand into the black brick and looked away breaking in front of Nessa to hurry them along. "Bobby we can't let them kill him!"

"You can't stop it!" Nessa called out as she hurried to keep pace. Sam got to the base of the steps and took the winding corridor at a full out run until he came to another scary as hell wooden door and he didn't even give it a moments pause before he pulled it open and burst into a circular room with eight magical circles set into the floor. The intricate patterns in the circle looked a lot like some of the demon traps that Bobby had in his books except they were carved into the stone in deep grooves. The unoccupied circles had a visible hole that looked like a drain for the blood to flow. There were two posts set to the right and left at the top of each circle where the pattern started.

Sam gasped as he saw them tying a near lifeless Dean to the posts. His cast had been removed and he was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Sam could seem him visibly shivering from the fever and for a moment as rational thought left couldn't help but think that he should be covered so that his fever didn't go up...then he remembered that they were about to kill him ...Sam took a step toward him and suddenly slammed into something that felt solid...some sort of magical barrier.

Sam frantically pushed against it and then began to move side ways around the much larger circle that provided the barrier so that he could see Dean better...so that Dean could see him. Eight guards had taken up positions inside the magical area and were silently standing at attention as five attendants worked to begin the whole process. Sam didn't even give the other prisoner much of a glance as he was too concerned with just getting close enough to Dean. Bobby was following his lead as was Ben. "DEAN!" Sam cried out as he stopped at a crouch at the point closest to his brother that he could get.

Dean angled his head in that direction silently and Sam saw that his eyes were already wide with fear and fight. "Sam?" It came out in a raspy whisper and Sam knew that Dean was fighting to just stay conscious and by god they hadn't even done anything to him yet.

"Dean, just hang on I'm going to get you out of this." Sam said quickly pressing both hands against the barrier as he saw pain sweep across Dean's near tear soaked face from the way they were handling his broken arm. "Bobby..." the desperation in Sam's voice was broken as Bobby swallowed the knot in his throat.

"I'll go find the Justicar." Bobby whispered out in horror. "Dean, hang on!" Bobby called a moment later before he grabbed Ben by the arm and made a run for the door.

"This is pointless...I brought you to say goodbye...everything that can be done has been done." Nessa said as she let her gaze fall to Cowboy sprawled out in the circle. She swallowed and looked to Gabriel with the same remorse before turning and walking to the back of the circular room. Nessa leaned her back against the wall and folded her hands across her chest with a sigh as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She could understand Sam's need to hope...his desperation to save this man...but to her - he was already dead.

Sam rose to his feet as one of the attendants walked to Dean with a jagged knife and the other four came to hold him down. Sam slammed a hand against the barrier in horror. "No! No...leave him alone! No!." Sam scrambled around the circle trying to get a better view of Dean. Dean angled his head back and let out a scream against protesting muscles and fighting limbs subdued by strong hands as two slits where cut deep into his forearms.

Sam suddenly realized that this wasn't a fast process. God it was going to take a while for him to die...he'd feel his own blood flowing from him for so long...too long...God this was no way for a man to die...for Dean to die over some stupid misunderstanding - dammit he had to stop this - had to find a way to get to Dean. Sam would take on the whole of the guards...the attendants. He just had to get to him...get inside...find a way. "Dean!" Sam slammed another hand into the barrier as tears of rage and frustration and fear fell across his cheeks. God he'd almost lost him more then once in the last week - he was not going to let him die...couldn't let him die...God no.

The attendants left him to enact the same punishment to Gabriel and Dean was left there alone to his own death. Dean felt his vision dancing in and out on the tides of consciousness as he heard his brother shout his name again. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. It was like some nightmare he couldn't wake up from. After everything...everything - Dean pulled his good hand against the post then tried the broken arm as well near casting himself in unconsciousness from the act. "Sam!" Dean called back a moment later his voice encased in desperation and fear as the tears fell across Dean's own cheeks. "Sammy!"

"Dean, it's going to be alright...Bobby is going to talk to the man in charge...ok I'm just - I'm going to find a way in there and we're going to get this all sorted out. You just hang on...just a minute...just hang on." Sam could see that Dean didn't believe that it was all alright and the fear showing on his brother's face cut jagged wounds into Sam's soul. "It's going to be alright - I'm not going to let you die."

"Sammy, don't...just." Dean's voice was fading fast. His body had already taken so much punishment and he had still been recovering from the blood lost from his previous fights...battling the sickness that had taken his body. "Promise me..." he trailed off nearly falling to unconsciousness.

"Dean!" Sam sobbed out slamming more angry fists into that damned barrier. "Don't do that! Dean don't you give up - do not say goodbye!"

"Sammy promise me." He was fading so fast - trying to hang on. To will himself to stay alive - to live...to fight. "You have to promise me..."

"What? Promise you what?" Sam slipped to the floor leaning against the barrier trying to get as close to Dean as he could...it was only a foot - maybe...but it felt like miles separating them.  
"Promise you what ?!" Sam screamed out a moment later when he almost thought his brother was lost as he had fallen silent - gone still.

"Look out for yourself...and protect...Ambre..." Dean's eyes closed and his body gave a shudder as the grooves filled with his blood.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dean could still Hear Sam in the back of his mind...the voice flickering in and out as if some phantom sound of desperation and pain...he couldn't stir...couldn't make his brain send the message to move to his body...couldn't even force his heavy lids open as his chest fought to rise and fall against the waning strength that remained.

"_Dean "_ There was an intense pounding against something solid nearby as the screaming continued.

He always had truly believed that his life would flash before his eyes should he die...but all he could see today was Alturoc on that damned roof top...the whole of the world dying...feeling Malachi ripped from his body on the return trip...watching the plane explode in the night sky as the tears threatened to spill...and then something else...something he hadn't seen before...noticed that night.

"Oh God." Dean's lips parted a moment from his position on the floor but the words in his head only managed to come out in a puff of breath that seemed to shimmer in the dimly lit room...it floated upward in a spiraling halo of growing brilliance as Dean was locked into the vision of the explosion. He finally understood the strength of the gods that they had harbored...Two weakened brilliant lights had escaped that plane. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Had he been in too much of a state of shock...his body too far in the throws of the magic...too sick...to hurt... Alturoc's true intentions were becoming clear now...so painstakingly clear.

Inan had died that night in whatever God awful magic Alturoc used in the sending...and Malachi had been used to destroy the plane but the forces in effect weren't enough to destroy Danisheyal and Malachi completely...something had remained... as the playback from the his return kept going Dean suddenly saw both shimmering remnants slam into his own body right before he tumbled to the ground unconscious.

They must have been in as bad a shape as he was at the time from the magic...but by god he had both brother's inside him. "Jesus." Dean actually got the word out as his eyes slowly opened. He could feel the power building around him...swirling inside him...rushing in frantic waves as the fractured beings inside him worked to save their host. To keep themselves alive as much as him.

Dean couldn't control the magic...the forces at work now...he could only lay there...feeling helpless to stop whatever it was they were about to do.

Sam slammed his hand against the barrier so long and hard that it was bleeding as the tears were soaking into the base of his neck - into the T- shirt there...sobs racking his body...and then Dean moved...actually said something, though the word was lost to Sam.

Sam's whispered 'Dean' couldn't possibly be heard by his brother. Sam gasped falling backwards to his backside as a shimmer of a breath was torn from Dean's body now arching back breakingly heavenward as what looked like a silent scream took hold of his brother. "Dean " Sam screamed again forcing himself forward against the barrier - god what were they doing to him.

That's when Sam notice the fear sweep through one of the guards...and the attendants that had been cutting on Gabriel were turning to look now...dropping the knife...

Dean's silent scream was mirrored out loud a second later as everyone man standing inside the barrier grasped at their chest and hit their knees. The screams tore through the room in an agonizing crescendo of horror as their souls were ripped simultaneously from each of them cutting off that unison cry of pain and death in one instant as all the life force began to flow into Dean.

"Get this thing down " Sam was screaming at Nessa and she was already on the move running for the door fear showing on what should have been an emotionless face. Suddenly though Sam couldn't managed to catch his breath and his hand went instinctively to his chest...as he heard Nessa cry out and fall into the door frame also clutching at her breast - panting for breath.

"Dean " Sam managed to scream out one last time before his voice was completely lost to the drain on his strength...the pain flowing through him...from him...spiraling away from him. The barrier before him shimmered and then flickered showing itself before it began to crack like breaking glass. The spider web cracks began to consume the whole of the wall until all at once it gave one last flickering groan before bursting into a brilliant flash of light. Sam saw the power through blurring vision flow into his brother as well.

Sam was clawing his way to Dean now...feeling his own life slowly seeping away as he tried to get to the falling body. "Dean." Sam grunted out not sure what in the hell was happening...not sure he wanted to know. The guards were dead...the attendants gone...Gabriel was even lifeless now eyes staring blankly... "Dean." It was a mantra of fear and hope all at once.

Sam was moving on pure will as he finally sank to lay on his stomach next to Dean. Still he could see the even rise and fall of Dean's chest. He took in the healed cuts that had been set in deep into Dean's forearms...could see the wounds from the days past were gone...and Dean was opening his eyes...blinking rapidly before Sam felt the rest of his own strength wane and he collapsed there next to him managing a slight smile before his body gave into the blackness.

Dean opened his eyes feeling the strong iron that had bound him to the posts fall away from his wrists in a creaking broken clank. He sat up easily expecting the pain and fever to give him a fight against it, but when none was offered he looked around in confusion to the bodies on the floor.

It took him a moment o even notice that one of them was Sam...that Nessa was also out in the doorway. "Oh God...god - Sam? " Dean scrambled to Sam on his knees and gently prodded his neck feeling for a pulse. When the weak response pulsed against his fingers Dean felt a sigh escape him as he closed his eyes trying like hell to remember what had just happened. It was like some crazy blur of power...upon power...upon power hitting him like bolts of electricity.

Dean got to his feet and began to check on the people closest to him...to feel for pulses...he started getting more and more worried as all the remaining men including Gabriel in the circle were lacking one...Dean turned to look at Nessa and went at a run to her. "Come on...come on...be alive." Fingers were shaking now as they prodded her neck and he came back at another gasp of relief that she was alive. "What the..." Dean's voice mirrored the fear trembling through his body as he looked to the stairwell before him and he didn't hear anything...not even the flutter of muffled that life that should have been coming from above.

Dean rose to his feet his gaze locked on the dark corridor that led upward as fear turned to agonizing terror....the color draining from his face...he looked back to Sam and decided against leaving his brother here before checking it out.

It was on his way back to get Sam that the memory hit him in a jolt of understanding. Dean looked to his forearms seeing the lack of wounds and then frantically swept a hand under his shirt...god...oh god...he was pulling it over his head for a better look tearing at the gauze and tape feeling staples and thread falling from healed wounds - the scars from it all still visible and tender under his fingers. "God...no..." Dean's tear streaked vision danced over the dead and unconscious as he spun around in a circle realization sinking in deep.

Malachi was still inside him...and Danisheyal...in some form...and they had just killed 14 people to save him...to heal him...There was no telling what was wrong with everyone else but if he had done this...if had...God...oh God ...no... Dean forced himself to look at Gabriel as he wiped at the tears still falling...felt the sob tear through his chest. No...and Sam...Dean closed his eyes and wiped his hand down his face as he forced the numbing shock away to take care of his brother. He moved to him and carefully pulled him into his arms - angled him over his shoulder and made his way past Ness stepping over her body to get to the stairs. He could come back for her...do something...he just had to find Bobby - Ambre...tell someone something...make sure he kept Sam and Ambre safe..

Dean could feel his mind folding in on itself as he tightened his jaw willing himself to just keep moving - to get some help - to not think about it. What he had just done...what was still inside him...the new addition. No he wasn't thinking about it...wasn't going to let himself...

Dean stepped into the blackened corridor and felt the gasp hitch in his throat as he almost dropped Sam feeling his own knees growing weak. It was so quiet...so quiet. He forced himself onward and onward through the twists and turned until the got to the main corridor. Dean's eyes widened as he slowly began to set Sam down unable to take the weight...

Frantic and sobbing Dean ran into the bodies slumped against the walls as he checked for pulse after pulse. He was on the thirtieth person having found a few more dead now...hearts weak...but most were still alive... "Bobby." Dean was still crying - the shock winding deep as he began scrambling over bodies to find Bobby - to find Ambre.

Half an hour later in the dead silence of the deathly compound he had found them...alive save for Ben...but those that had lived hadn't woken yet... none of them...and there were so many more dead then he originally thought...Dean silently made his way up the hidden stairways to the world above to the building that served as cover for the compound...more tears came as he saw secretaries slumped over their desks in the simple office building...he kept going...walking past cubicle after cubicle...numb...unable to process the thoughts that should have been racing through his mind. He was on the roof long before he even let the strength of his will wane enough to take his legs out from under him...to let him fall to his knees in the center of the gravelly flat rooftop.

Broken and sobbing he poured out his guilt in waves of agony as hands fell to the gravel there too and his stomach revolted forcing heaves of nothingness to gag on - to put a break in the tears. They were inside him...and had killed 34 people to heal him...knocked out an entire compound of people...just to save him...God...he was responsible for that...wether he could control it or not...it was him...Alturoc be damned...damn him...this was supposed to be fixed...this was supposed to be just the two of them...the fight of the century and Dean had two gods piggy backing him.

The sliver of anger cut through the pain...cut in deep and gave him just a fraction of a second of relief. Just a fraction, but it was enough...enough for him to pound a fist into the roof top near shattering the bones in his hand as the sobs took him again.

He had given up a world of pain for another world of agony and now his promise seemed to be lost in sacrifice made for sacrifice and just how wrong one man could be. There was no telling how long he sat there as the sun dipped low in the sky and he still heard no movement from below though he had long sense stopped listening for it. Dean sat in a numb - shock induced recompense of sorrow as the last of tears were shed...unable to force more though the pain hadn't lessened. He watched with unseeing eyes as the sun slipped below the horizon casting the world of unsuspecting victims into a twilight dream scape of horrors.

Sam woke with a jerk and heard the rustle and groans of bodies moving...slowly...painstakingly getting to their feet. Sam felt like his head was in a vise as he clumsily got to his feet using the wall to help support him. Nessa moved past him looking ready to kill as she stepped over those that had yet to waken.

He had barely gotten his bearings when a loud ringing started through out the compound like some sort of alarm. He heard Nessa curse in front of him as she broke into a run. "Get your asses up We're under attack " Nessa screamed at the Magus. 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Wind ripped through his hair...clothes pressed flat against his body and the many new scars...pressing hard and fast...faster then it should have. Dean looked up through a tear streaked haze feeling his emotions cascading out of control. Through the bleary twilight black specs dotted the horizon in a fashion he so well remembered....

Reason and rhyme had long ago left as heart ache after heart ache settled into his chest almost like an old friend now...something that felt familiar...he felt his jaw tighten under the weight of a world gone to hell...or at least on the verge as the alarm bells rang far below.

Memories of old stirred ...memories of shades and black winged devils...of Washington...and bridges. "Alturoc." he whispered. The word was a curse on his a tongue...a bite of blood and marred flesh...a taint on the world and everything he knew. Through the confusion and the agony of realization a thoughtful question slipped into his mind past the swirling whirl of madness. Why did the bastard still want Ambre? Any of them? Why attack the Foci? They had proven long before now that they held no true defense...or really much of an offense.

The unanswered questions fueled a growing anger inside him as he slowly rose from his knees...his body silhouetted against the setting sun...let them come...somewhere deep inside two growing voices agreed.

Nessa was jumping bodies screaming for action as more guardians joined her efforts - Sam fast on her heels dodging magus and waking guardians. "GET UP " Nessa growled in a scream. God alarms didn't go off for just a damn demon walking up to the door...something bad was going on and the repercussions had yet to reach them...the unconsciousness wasn't even a question in her mind yet - She didn't even want to know what Cowboy had done - not yet anyway.

"What's happening?" Sam called at her back, his voice fearful and nearing a scream as well just over the noise in the hallways now.

"I already told you We're under attack. If you can't do anything useful then get the hell out of the way " Nessa screamed back at him. She disappeared into the cafeteria and saw that Ambre and Shay were still passed out over the table they had been sitting at. Nessa gave a visible sigh of relief. Nessa turned and Sam almost ran into her. She gave him a glare before motioning behind her at the sleeping couple. "Listen wake the Princess and her cupcake up..I'm going to grab some weapons and I'll be right back."

"I don't have time to babysit. We have to find Dean." Sam replied quickly narrowing his eyes at her.

Nessa's mouth fell open. "Trust me Sugar...after what I saw down there - Cowboy can take care of himself. Ambre can't...now stay with her." Without another word Nessa was moving to the weapons hold.

Sam looked after in disbelief then back to Ambre - God Lord what was so special about this woman? More ten that...what had Dean done and how...and was he really alright? It felt as if he had nearly killed him...all of them...and then there were the bodies that hadn't moved...the ones that hadn't survived...that didn't add up to alright in his book...Maybe capable of taking care of himself...but then where was he?

Dean stepped to the edge of the roof as the flutter of black wings blotted out the last light of day...casting the whole of the city into darkness. He didn't have time to do what he had before...spend time and effort fighting the being that had resided inside him - trying to justify the good or bad...to find some way to get it out...he was running out of choices and while they weren't on his even halfway decent list he needed them as much as they needed him...and hell there were two of them now...as long as they did via fro control he didn't care who came out on top on the power distribution so long as the power was there.

"Hey guys." Dean whispered to himself to Malachi and Danisheyal brother Gods that had once plunged the world into war over Inan. Gods that had so decimated the earth that all that was left was a handful of a magus that formed Foci command. Gods that had better find a friggin way for him to save who was left below...because they had killed too many people to stay quiet now. "I'm really not askin' here. You want to stay in this body you better turn on the juice." Dean's voice was coated in the anger and pain from before with the anger winning out, out of pure necessity. "Or I swear to God I'll put a f*cking bullet in my brain. End game. No chance for reviving. So how about a little cooperation here."

As if on cue - because he sure as hell wasn't joking about the suicide - Dean felt the power surge. It hit like the damn bursting right before the shit had hit the fan in the frozen wastes of the ruined world he had sacrificed so heavily to save. Dean hit his knees on the roof ledge with a scream that tore through his chest mirroring the burning that seared straight through to his fractured soul.

He was so going to regret asking for this he knew it...he'd almost died from the sickness that had resulted the last time and that was from one damned God...now he had two unleashing their power inside him - but he could tell they were holding back still. Dean set his claws in deep trying to stay conscious.

Nessa fling the top off a crate of guns and started handing them out to the guardians already prepping for battle. They took their guns and moved on all at a run for the stairwell...to get outside...to stop the bastards from breaking into the building from above.

Nessa certainly didn't look like it, but she was scared to death. Because no evil Son of a bitch had ever tried a power play like this that so whole heartedly broke protocol. Everyone in Washington could see what she had seen as she finally passed the security station and took in the waves of Black Winged Devils headed in their direction. Nessa pushed Steffs, another guardian, out of the way and handed her weapons passer job to someone else so she could get to the front lines. White wings unfurled as the host of guardians poured from the building and lined up along the front...looking up at the descending blackness. "HOLD!" Someone screamed down the lines and they were all priming their weapons to fire as they waited for permission to become air born.

The black wings were almost there by the time the call went out to get to the skies. The guardian burst from the side walk entrance straight up against the building and clashed with a sea of black wings near the roof top.

Dean fell backwards in surprise as the sudden flash of white fluttered upward inches from his face and slammed into the approaching black wings. The wind hit him hard and he had to scramble back to his feet at a pant still trying to deal with the power that the Gods had released inside him.

"Bobby!" Sam screamed through the roar of motion going on below as he grabbed Bobby and yanked him into the cafeteria. "Bobby - Stay here with Ambre and Shay. I'm going top side - need to find Dean. I don't think he's in here!"

"Sam, They just sent a whole hell of lot of these guys out there with guns that's the last place you want to be." Bobby replied evenly as Sam didn't listen to a word he said and took off running down the corridors - shoving his way through people until he burst through the front doors and gasped at the battle going on heavenward.

He barely got a chance to let the shock settle when he was suddenly plowed into by a guy sporting black wings and a snarl from hell. Sam's body slammed into the brick building behind him with the guy on top of him rendering him stunned long enough to be wrenched upward with the guy into the night sky. He had barely recovered from the initial blow when he felt the sting of a knife sear through his rib cage...and then he was falling away hearing the laughter as it died in a rush and woosh of wings.

Dean watched the white and black pummel into each other as gun fire lit up the night sky. He was barely following the flurry of movement when an lone figure not sporting wings began to plummet through the night sky holding a bloodied hand away from his middle in shock.

"Sammy!" 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The furies of heaven and hell had tangled in a ariel dance of utter chaos - drifts of blood coated shades of gray raining down in the form of feathers as bursts of light illuminated the lone figure plummeting earth bound. Dean's breath came ragged in his ears as he locked onto the figure, trying to cast aside the images that blocked his view. "Sam "

Tender mercies were hard to come by. The swell of power was anything but tender, peaceful, it was edged in rage and terror...soaked in battle and waning hope. The bursting dam - forced Dean's eyes shut as the pain felt as if it slowly chiseling his skull apart...one hand to his forehead - scream a growl on his lips - leaning so far over the roofs edge - he cursed inwardly. 'Come on Come on ' what the hell - why did he have all this power if he couldn't save Sam? Who the hell was cursed with something like that?

Dean slammed his hand into the concrete partition that served as the shallow barrier to the blood rain skies from the rooftop and felt his hand crush through the gray stone to the black top roof below. He opened his eyes - narrow slits against the overwhelming pain as blood ran from his nose. Dean didn't know where to start his thoughts on the new found strength...that accompanied the pain...but he'd need a lot more than strength to help Sam.

Of course when in the world had Dean ever actually waited for fate to intervene on Sam's behalf? When had he made sure he had a well formed plan? Or hell a plan at all? When had he relied on more than hope and luck and fast thinking? When had fate allowed him the luxury of planning? And even then when had a plan even worked? Dean relied on ways of old as he shoved himself backwards on the roof - to his feet.

"You two better think fast...or we're all gonna be dead." Dean whispered over the disembodied sound of unearthly creatures tearing each other apart in the skies. He suddenly broke into a run for the edge of the roof and jumped, immediately slamming into a black winged monster. The creatures claws ripped into Dean's back both lodging center and lashing outward tearing him open from the middle. Dean gave a growl as the creatures black eyes widened in terror - feeling it's essence drain in order to heal the wound it had inflicted. Dean was whole by the time he held fast to the winged creature - as they began their descent downward - the wings providing some resistance to the drop.

Dean looked around the wingspan to see Sam approaching the second story - nearing the ground entirely too fast.

Nessa felt crushed stone tear into her back as she busted bricks from the building front with a slam that had rendered her weaponless. She snarled as her elbow connected with the devil's head - snapping it backwards just long enough for her to shove the knife into it's middle and twist. It began to fall away in deathly pallor as Nessa suddenly witnessed Dean sailing past her headed earth bound - riding a dead devil...

She pushed off the wall and lined up next to him - immediately seeing his goal far below. She broke into a dive- swiftly gaining ground on Sam but not fast enough. Dammit She told Sugar to stay his ass inside Dammit

Nessa gasped.

In the spreading darkness of approaching night, the tufts of bloodied feathers falling through the skies began to still...Nessa hit several masses of them on her way toward the ground...and then she too began to still. She fought it like holy hell. Limbs freezing in place...unable to move downward - upward - to reposition her arm...her wings frozen...her body unmoving in space and time. She managed to angle her head upwards toward Dean before she could no longer fight the growing paralyzation. It was more than that though...bodies didn't suspend themselves in an unmoving state in midair...

He alone kept moving. Using the live bodies as leaping stones to get him safely to Sam - he jumped from one to the other - as the celestial bodies became of mural of etched battle - frozen in time in the skies over Washington. She didn't know how he had done it? How in the hell - but it was becoming apparent that the dormant power inside him wasn't so dormant any more...and Nessa swore as she felt him jump to her own body - pausing only for a fraction to take in her eyes before continuing on - that she would fight...him or all hell - to keep the balance in check - to preserve the world that she had been born to protect.

Dean didn't know how he'd done it. Stopped an entire battle - frozen all the participants. He remembered thinking that if Sam would simple wait a moment longer that he could reach him...and that's when things began to change...to shift. Dean didn't stop to think about it - to question it...he paused only to take in the horror in Nessa's eyes before he jumped downward and landed on the sidewalk eye level with Sam's semi unconscious form. The same form now frozen like everyone else...just a fraction of a slip away from his own death.

Dean's breath hitched at the thought before he carefully reached up and took hold of Sam's body bringing him down into his arms as the battle over head suddenly went back into full swing in a mere fraction of a second. He pulled Sam close feeling him stir slightly in his arms as Dean began to walk back into the building...his heart still lost in the time of the paralyzed battle - unable to even think on what he'd done - what he had been forced to do - looking over the dead that lined the halls - not thinking - just moving - feeling Sam's gentle pain laced movement as he kept going.

Dean cradled Sam's body against his chest feeling the taint of coppery life force fall across his lips. He ignored his own pain - the pounding that was ripping his skull apart as he clung to his brother's limp form. Alturoc was a bastard...but dammit so was Vanashi...and the Foci. Playing with people's lives. They had never been in so much trouble...Dean fought his way through the compound and into the cafeteria...looking for familiar faces...seeking solace in people who no longer knew what lay deep in his soul...

Dean met Ambre's eyes as she rose to her feet and felt the ache in his head intensify...felt his muscles tighten in anger, frustration, jealousy, saw Shay rise beside her...and Bobby next to them...saw the dead being piled in the South corner - Ben among them...

He closed his eyes tightly - feeling Sam's weight shift in his arms...ducked his head in shame and trembling horror. "Dean." Bobby nearly whispered it, but it was Sam's near muted voice that broke through the haze in his mind - getting a gasp that bore the remnants of a half sob from Dean's throat. "Sam, it's going to be alright." Dean whispered. He nodded to the half empty table then to Bobby who immediately cleared the table enough for him to lay Sam down. "Help him." Dean hissed to Ambre...feeling betrayed even though he tried to convince himself not to be - tried to remind himself that that was a world away.

"I'll...I..." Ambre looked half dazed in the flickering light of the cafeteria as she fumbled over the words - wide eyed.

"You're a trauma nurse...you've seen a stab wound before...patch him as best you can...Shay find the medics...I'll be right back...and I want him alive when I get back." Dean cut her off as he grabbed Bobby by the arm and moved toward the corridor.

"Bobby, round up the elders for another meet and greet in the council chambers...I don't care what you have to do."

Bobby shook his arm from Dean and looked him over as if he'd lost his mind. "Dean, what the hell is..."

"I've got one more thing to take care of." Dean whispered moving - his back now to Bobby as he made his way toward the exit...toward the battle. "Then I need to have a talk with the Foci."

"Dean, what about Sam...what are you..."

"Bobby just do it!" Dean turned long enough for a flash of blood molten to flash across his eyes. "Now! I'll explain later!"

Bobby watched as Dean ascended the steps to the violent world above - his heart hammering his throat - his breath heaving in his chest - Jesus Christ - what the hell was going on? He'd heard enough so far, but not the whole story...and things were swiftly spiraling out of control.

Dean stepped onto the concrete slab of sidewalk outside the command center allowing his gaze to drift heavenward to the blanketed blackening sky.

He embraced the pain tearing his brain apart and immediately doubled over with a scream...Inside a furry of unimaginable rage swept outward...The reverberation of the scream caused a chain reaction of gurgling cries in the heavens...as the vile midnight enemies screeched, their bodies suddenly convulsing as if having in an epileptic seizure in mid air...in mid battle...the whole of their numbers afflicted, save one lone terrified beast that fell to Dean's feet.

The guardians gave pause as they kept their eyes trained on the creatures that they had been battling only moments before...readying for the fight that was sure to come - should this mysterious affliction pass...some of them didn't wait, but instead put the devil's out of their misery.

A cacophony of sound grew with the escalation of shuddering screams until all at once the whole of the massive dark army exploded in a wave of bloodied feathers that fluttered down in torrents over the parking lot.

Dean grabbed the devil at his feet by the neck and pulled him to eye level. "Tell your master, I'm coming for him...Tell him to leave us alone!" Dean growled his visage hard and cold - lathed in hatred - He gave another growl of frustration as he threw the abomination back into the air to watch it fly away as if Alturoc himself were on his heels. Dean didn't pay the white muddle of feathers above him any mind as he made his way back into the building - wiping a stream of blood from his nose with the back of his hand. He had had enough...enough of playing by everyone else's rules...enough of trying to cushion the fall, sugar coat the little skeletons that kept coming back to bite him in the ass.


End file.
